On his first trip to an EU country this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday sharply criticized Western policy toward Moscow, describing a newly expanded US missile defense system as a threat to his country’s security — and vowing to retaliate.
Putin arrived in Athens on a two-day visit and emerged from talks with the Greek government to lash the US and NATO allies, also accusing them of stifling trade and energy cooperation with Russia.
Earlier this month, the US program was declared operational at a site in Romania, drawing an angry reaction from Russia.
Photo: Bloomberg
NATO says the system is purely defensive and a response to a growing capability of ballistic missiles globally.
“We keep hearing that it’s not a threat against Russia, that it’s not aimed at Russia,” Putin said late on Friday. “Of course it’s a threat to us. It can easily be modified to have an aggressive capability.”
“If yesterday some parts of Romania did not know what it means to be targets, we will now be forced to take certain actions which will guarantee our security,” he said, but did not elaborate.
Putin has made only a handful of visits to EU countries since sanctions were imposed on Moscow two years ago in response to the Ukraine crisis and Russia’s annexation of Crimea following an internationally disputed referendum.
“The issue of Crimea is over forever, based on the will of the people who live there. Russia will never negotiate on this issue,” Putin said.
Athens is keen to maintain its traditionally close ties with post-Soviet Russia, despite its participation in EU sanctions against Moscow and a gas pipeline project designed to limit Russia’s regional energy dominance.
Russia is one of Greece’s main trading partners, but business has been hit by the sanctions and a drop in commodity prices. Greece is also keen to reverse a slump in tourist arrivals from Russia, and attract interest from Russian companies in the planned privatization of rail and other transport services.
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said that Putin’s visit comes just days after Athens reached a deal with eurozone bailout creditors to continue rescue loans, under a deal that expands power of a state privatization committee.
“Improving relations with Russia on multiple levels is a strategic choice,” Tsipras said. “Of course ... when the disagreements exceed our powers, we can act a positive influence within the EU and NATO.”
Putin traveled to Greece with Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov and top executives from Russian oil and gas companies. Amid heavy security at Athens Airport, F-16s buzzed overhead as part of a welcoming ceremony.
“This will be the first time Putin has visited an EU country in the past six months and Russia-EU relations will be definitely on the agenda,” said Alexander Kokcharov of the US-based IHS Country Risk group. “Putin is likely to offer investment projects in Greece, most likely in energy and transport sectors. However, we do not expect that Greece would go against the EU consensus.”
Yesterday, Putin visited the Orthodox Christian monastic community of Mount Athos, joined by Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill, to celebrate 1,000 years of Russian presence on Mount Athos.
About 2,500 police were providing security for Putin’s visit in Athens, and much of the city center was blocked to motorists.
Outside the Greek parliament, a small group of demonstrators from a Greek gay and lesbian rights association gathered in protest against Putin’s visit, chanting “Greece, Russia, Homophobia.”
Protester Savvas Kleanthous said violence against gays in Russia goes largely unpunished
“We’re here to support the Russian gay community,” he said. “We haven’t forgotten them.”
OUTRAGE: The former strongman was accused of corruption and responsibility for the killings of hundreds of thousands of political opponents during his time in office Indonesia yesterday awarded the title of national hero to late president Suharto, provoking outrage from rights groups who said the move was an attempt to whitewash decades of human rights abuses and corruption that took place during his 32 years in power. Suharto was a US ally during the Cold War who presided over decades of authoritarian rule, during which up to 1 million political opponents were killed, until he was toppled by protests in 1998. He was one of 10 people recognized by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto in a televised ceremony held at the presidential palace in Jakarta to mark National
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr yesterday vowed that those behind bogus flood control projects would be arrested before Christmas, days after deadly back-to-back typhoons left swathes of the country underwater. Scores of construction firm owners, government officials and lawmakers — including Marcos’ cousin congressman — have been accused of pocketing funds for substandard or so-called “ghost” infrastructure projects. The Philippine Department of Finance has estimated the nation’s economy lost up to 118.5 billion pesos (US$2 billion) since 2023 due to corruption in flood control projects. Criminal cases against most of the people implicated are nearly complete, Marcos told reporters. “We don’t file cases for
LANDMARK: After first meeting Trump in Riyadh in May, al-Sharaa’s visit to the White House today would be the first by a Syrian leader since the country’s independence Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrived in the US on Saturday for a landmark official visit, his country’s state news agency SANA reported, a day after Washington removed him from a terrorism blacklist. Sharaa, whose rebel forces ousted long-time former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad late last year, is due to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House today. It is the first such visit by a Syrian president since the country’s independence in 1946, according to analysts. The interim leader met Trump for the first time in Riyadh during the US president’s regional tour in May. US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack earlier
‘ATTACK ON CIVILIZATION’: The culture ministry released drawings of six missing statues representing the Roman goddess of Venus, the tallest of which was 40cm Investigators believe that the theft of several ancient statues dating back to the Roman era from Syria’s national museum was likely the work of an individual, not an organized gang, officials said on Wednesday. The National Museum of Damascus was closed after the heist was discovered early on Monday. The museum had reopened in January as the country recovers from a 14-year civil war and the fall of the 54-year al-Assad dynasty last year. On Wednesday, a security vehicle was parked outside the main gate of the museum in central Damascus while security guards stood nearby. People were not allowed in because
RSS