Are EU leaders tired of Russia’s war in Ukraine and ready to seek a way out? That was the message from Italy's prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, during a phone call in September with Russian comedians posing as an African Union official. Although Meloni’s office later said it regretted the PM’s falling for the prank, the damage may already have been done. Meloni’s remarks seemed to confirm what some already suspected: that Europe’s pledge to support Ukraine for “as long as it takes” in its war against Russia, is being tested by Kyiv’s plodding counteroffensive … and a horrific new war in the Middle East. The Gaza conflict has left Ukraine competing for money, military supplies – and attention – from the West, leading some to ask whether Ukraine is slipping down Europe’s priority list.