Officials from the European Union are gathering over the next two days with their Russian counterparts in Khanty-Mansiysk, Siberia, holding a series of “framework discussions” to prepare for the beginning of negotiations on a partnership agreement on July 4th. Representatives were planning to run the gamut of issues, discussing everything from political cooperation and economic integration to more difficult issues, such as energy security and the Georgia issue. However the goal of having a new EU-Russia Partnership in place by July 2009 is already looking unlikely, and the Europeans have no one to blame but themselves for the all the disorder within their own house following the failure of the Lisbon Treaty. This time we are talking about more than just veto grandstanding from Poland over banned meats, or Lithuania’s small state diplomacy preventing successful negotiation. Instead we’re looking at deeply fragmented Europe suffering a crisis of identity and purpose. In the recent past, the Kremlin has feasted upon these divisions in Europe to advance their energy interests and leverage political influence among key states. But this time it might be Moscow who is hoping that the EU can get its act together and make progress on the accord.