With much of Europe looking at Greece with anxiety, there’s at least one leader who isn’t panicking too much: Vladimir Putin.
The leftist Syriza coalition’s victory in Sunday’s Greek vote is spreading worries for some of further financial turmoil in Europe, and hope for others of an anti-austerity uprising.
But it also means the Russian president, who’s become increasingly isolated on the world stage, thanks to Russia’s meddling in the Ukraine crisis, may have just won a new friend.
First, Russia’s close historical, cultural and religious ties with Greece — both countries are predominantly Eastern Orthodox Christian — go way back.
Then there’s the politics: While Syriza members have tried to allay fears the radical leftist coalition would seek to pull Greece out of NATO, they do openly challenge the military alliance’s utility and importance.
That’s key because the Kremlin isn’t exactly NATO’s biggest fan either. (Putin himself on Monday even slammed Ukraine’s army as a “NATO legion” serving foreign geopolitical interests.)
Perhaps even more important is speculation that Syriza may help block crippling European Union sanctions against Russia over Ukraine, measures the radical Greeks have repeatedly criticized.
The party leadership has also spoken out against Kyiv’s new pro-EU government, which the Kremlin slams as a “fascist junta.”
All 28 EU member states must vote unanimously to extend the punitive measures when they’re up for renewal in July. The trickle-down effects of sanctions — such as a drop in Russian tourism to Greece — have been felt by Athens, Bloomberg News reported.
It’s unclear just how closely Syriza will pivot toward Russia. But hints are emerging.
Costas Isychos, the coalition’s foreign policy chief, told the official Russian newspaper,Rossiyskaya Gazeta, on Sunday that one of newly minted Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’ first foreign visits might just be to Moscow.
“We should remember that the relationship between our countries is much deeper than just the current agenda of the day,” he said.
