© Sasha Mordovets, Getty Images
President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia receiving his Cypriot counterpart, Nicos Anastasiades, in Moscow in February
President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia receiving his Cypriot counterpart, Nicos Anastasiades, in Moscow in February
Editor's note: It is simply extraordinary how biased The Times is in its supposedly straightforward reporting on Russia. It's crafty Putin again "waving cash", buying his way out of the "annexation" of Crimea. Please stop calling it an "annexation". Honest journalism would be to say "what the US says is an annexation and what Russia believes is a 'reunification'." That would be honestly presenting both sides, instead of plugging the view that you sympathize with. Pathetic.This article originally appeared in The New York Times
But still a useful article: makes it clear how strong the Russian influence is on Greece and Cyprus. The EU is going to fold, it is only a matter of time, leaving US policy in a massive train-wreck.
When Cyprus seized hundreds of millions of dollars from bank depositors, many of them Russians, as part of an internationally brokered deal two years ago to rescue its collapsing financial system, the Russian leader, Vladimir V. Putin, denounced the move as "dangerous" and "unfair," warning of a sharp chill in relations.
But Mr. Putin was all smiles recently when he received Cyprus's president, Nicos Anastasiades, in Moscow. He hailed relations with the Mediterranean nation as "always being truly friendly and mutually beneficial" and agreed to extend — on greatly improved terms for Cyprus — a $2.5 billion Russian loan.
The shift from fury to declarations of eternal friendship displayed Mr. Putin's well-known flair for tactical back flips. But it also showed his unbending determination to break out of sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States and the European Union for Moscow's annexation of Crimea and support for armed rebels in eastern Ukraine.
© Katia Christodoulou, European Pressphoto Agency
Depositors in the now-defunct Laiki Bank, which closed in Cyprus's 2013 financial crisis, protested outside Parliament in Nicosia in March
Depositors in the now-defunct Laiki Bank, which closed in Cyprus's 2013 financial crisis, protested outside Parliament in Nicosia in March
Comment: It's worth noting what Pepe Escobar has written about Pakistan's involvement in the Saudi war on Yemen in light of the U.S. supplying Pakistan with weaponry: