Wolfgang Ischinger, the ­German ambassador to ­London, could be forgiven for thinking of himself as the man at the centre of the diplomatic dispute over the future of Kosovo.

For the past four months, Mr Ischinger has been the European Union’s representative on a “troika” of diplomats – from the EU, US and Russia – charged with resolving the stand-off over Kosovo. The talks have been gruelling, he concedes in an interview. But the “endgame” is approaching, he says. “We are entering the most critical phase.”