I definitely feel like I got a better sense of the challenges faced by the Patriarchate of Constantinople when I spent some time in Istanbul last year. Effectively, for all intents and purposes, it's been a Patriarchate without a viable flock since the 1950s; its only hope--not only for "relevance", but for its very survival--is in the global diaspora, in people that see it as a source of legitimate religious leadership. Thus, IMHO the EP's agenda for this council is going to be a tough sell for Moscow.
