Despite the repeated messages about EU unity concerning Ukraine, the debates at the meeting showed that "the views within the EU are different, there are two attitudes".

The approach advocated by Poland and the Baltic states is that "the door for dialogue with Russia shouldn't be opened until Ukraine is secured full sovereignty and territorial integrity, which means Russia would need to annul all decisions it has taken in relation to Crimea".

There is however also a group of countries, which for instance include Germany and Slovenia, that believe dialogue needs to continue. The reasons are also economic as well as related to international issues such as Syria and Iran.

Some kind of compromise will be necessary, while it has become clear in Athens that there will obviously be no new sanctions against Russia, provided that it does not aggravate the situation by also interfering in the east or south of Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the meeting also brought a recommendation to ministers from the Western Balkan countries that are trying to join the EU to focus on reducing dependence on Russian energy, for instance with renewables.

This goes for the EU in general, Erjavec stressed, pointing out that Slovenia is expanding its hydro power plants chain on the Sava river and is also considering building a second nuclear reactor.

Asked about what these guidelines mean for Slovenia's South Stream pipeline agreement with Russia, Erjavec only said that the South Stream, whose construction is subject to an approval from Brussels, was not discussed in Athens.