From Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, at telegraph.co.uk:
The European Union has presented Vladimir Putin with an irresistible strategic prize, on a platter.
By insisting rigidly that Greece’s radical-Left government repudiate its electoral pledges and submit to ritual fealty – even on demands of little economic merit, or that might be unwise in the particular anthropology of a post-Ottoman society – it has pushed the Greek premier into the arms of a revanchist Kremlin.
The visit of Alexis Tsipras to Moscow has been a festival of fraternity. On Wednesday he laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and spoke of the joint struggle against Fascism, and the unstated foe. The squalid subject of money was of course avoided. “Greece is not a beggar,” he said.
“The visit could not have come at a better time,” said Mr Putin, purring like the cat who ate the cream.
EU sanctions against Russia will expire in June unless all 28 states agree to roll them over, and Mr Tsipras has already signalled his intent. “We need to leave behind this vicious cycle,” he said.
“Greece is a sovereign country with an unquestionable right to implement a multi-dimensional foreign policy and exploit its geopolitical role,” he added, for good measure.
A Greek veto on sanctions will embolden Hungary’s Viktor Orban to join the revolt, this time in earnest. His country has just secured a €10bn credit line from Russia to expand its Paks nuclear power plant, a deal described as a “purchase of political influence” by a leading critic.
Slovakia is quietly slipping away from what was once a united (if fractious) EU front to deter further Kremlin moves into Ukraine. There is safety in numbers for this evolving constellation, what Mr Putin’s foes would call the EU’s internal “Fifth Column”. Brussels can bring one to heel, but not a clutch of rebels. It is becoming powerless.
To continue reading: A strategic gift to Russia’s Vladimir Putin
