Of negotiations and problems

How does one describe an intractable problem to work on with a smile and yet having to face the difficulties of negotiating positions? 

Here is a nice way of saying it:

"In fact, if you had to sum up the entire encounter, it was that while leaders and officials luxuriate publicly in a rhetorical hot tub of co-operation and mutual appreciation, they still need to pass through a cold shower of political and legal reality on the way to the changing rooms."

"The links with Tai that Brussels hopes will bind", Financial Times, 17th June 2021

This quote applies to all sticky situations where hard-nosed negotiations are involved to solve decade old problems!