Playing perfectly into Russian disinformation games, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, beclowned himself and the EU on Friday.

It occurred during a press conference between Borrell and his Russian counterpart, the masterful disinformation artist Sergey Lavrov. As Lavrov launched into a litany of complaints against the EU and United States, Borrell stood idle like a statue. The timing could not have been worse. Borrell was under pressure to cancel his Moscow visit following the prison sentence imposed on Alexei Navalny this week. Critics of Borrell’s trip to Moscow feared that it would be seen as a signal of weakness by a Russian regime that revels in perceived weakness.