Greece and EU sanctions on Russia

Athens said that it did not consent to the statement put out Tuesday by the European Council, which urged EU foreign ministers to increase sanctions on Russia when they meet in Brussels on Thursday.

Greece will be represented by its newly appointed Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias, a politics professor who favors closer relations with Moscow. An imposition of further sanctions would require the agreement of all 28 EU member states so Greece could veto increased penalties.

Athens had raised some objections to the statement put out by the European Council and asked for its issuing to be delayed until Wednesday to allow for further discussion. The decision to ignore the Greek request prompted Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to ring Federica Mogherini, the EU's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, to complain.

Meanwhile, the international press -Bloomberg, Foreign Policy-, is full of stories about alleged close ties between the ruling SYRIZA party and the Russian government, cautioning about the possibility of a breakdown in the EU foreign policy front. Some analysts have even remembered Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzia's expressed support for the Jaruzelski regime in Poland in the early 1980s.