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Expert: relations between Athens and Moscow have collapsed, but Russophile attitudes are still present

by AI | 02.Jan 2025 | Europe in brief AI

Previously, Greece was often accused of not sufficiently supporting the Union’s stance on the war in Georgia or sanctions on Russia after the annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea in 2014.

Acropolis. Photo: Angelos Tzortzinis/dpa

After the Russian attack on Ukraine, relations between Russia and traditionally friendly Greece collapsed, but Russophile attitudes are still present among the Greek far-right and leftists, said Greek expert Prof. Panagiota Manoli.

Since the end of the Cold War, Athens has tried to balance between the European Union and NATO and a “special partnership” with Russia. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Greece aligned its response with EU allies and the Alliance. Greek-Russian relations, including trade, collapsed, and Russia classified Greece among the so-called unfriendly countries – recalled Manoli from the University of Peloponnese and expert of the ELIAMEP think tank.

However, 2022 became a turning point for pro-Russian attitudes in traditionally friendly Greece towards Russia, she assessed.

Manoli pointed out that tensions in diplomatic relations between the two countries had already increased earlier, in 2018, when Greece expelled two Russian diplomats, accusing them of actions against national security.

Public opinion polls show that most Greeks condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine and support aiding Kyiv, but in some matters, Greeks differ from societies in other EU countries.

Shortly after the invasion, a Politico poll showed that 60 percent of Greeks deemed Russian aggression unacceptable. Greeks are also among the societies least supportive of sanctions on Russia: in a Eurobarometer survey from May 2022, only 53 percent of Greeks supported these restrictions (the EU average was 80 percent). After two years of war, the percentage of support for sanctions in Greece dropped to 38 percent (to 58 percent in the EU).

The expert also noted that Greek society approaches both Russia and the USA with almost the same suspicion, and at the same time, after the outbreak of war in Ukraine, pro-European sentiments among Greeks have increased.

Public opinion polls show that Russophile attitudes are still present in the country. According to Manoli, even after the annexation of Crimea, Greece was “the most Russophile country in Europe.”

As she explained, Russophile attitudes can be mainly observed among supporters of the far right, who refer to the shared Orthodox faith and cultural ties of both countries. Among leftists, pro-Russian sentiments stem from nostalgia for the Soviet Union.

Above all, however, the Greek far-right highlights the benefits for the Greek economy that come from closer cooperation with Russia. “Economic arguments resonate with a society that has experienced a 10-year, difficult financial crisis,” Manoli emphasized.

Athens supports Kyiv diplomatically, humanitarianly, and militarily; the countries have established a cooperation agreement in the field of security.

However, Manoli noted that Greek public opinion is increasingly reluctant to provide military aid to Ukraine. Eurobarometer surveys from March 2024 show that 61 percent of EU citizens support the continuation and strengthening of support for Kyiv, while in Greece, this percentage is 46 percent. This is the fourth-lowest result.

The expert also emphasized that Russia is unsuccessfully trying to instrumentalize the Church in Greece. Moscow mainly focuses on northern Greece and monasteries on the holy Mount Athos, attempting to expand its influence there by financing certain monasteries. She added that tensions in relations between the Church in Greece and the Russian Church have long been present.

PAP also asked the expert about the fate of the Greek minority in Ukraine. Before the invasion began, the number of people of Greek origin in the Mariupol area was estimated at 100,000. Under current conditions, it’s impossible to estimate what portion of this group is under Russian occupation or outside Ukraine’s borders.

By the end of 2023, Greece had accepted over 23,000 Ukrainian refugees, but this number doesn’t only include Ukrainian Greeks. Referring to the interests of the Greek community of Mariupol, the government in Athens wants the establishment of an international tribunal to investigate aggression against Ukraine. (28.12.2024)