Newsroom
Yuri Pilipson, head of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Second European Department, told the state news agency TASS that Moscow views the Republic of Cyprus as having become increasingly embedded in what he described as the EU’s confrontational approach toward Russia. He accused members of the Cypriot leadership of actively supporting Ukraine, including pledges to continue providing financial and military assistance to Kyiv and backing EU initiatives to expand defense capabilities under what he dismissed as claims of a “Russian threat.”
Pilipson also pointed to Cyprus’s stated willingness to participate in any future international framework aimed at ensuring Ukraine’s security and stability. According to him, such positions have drawn Moscow’s attention and will be taken into account in Russia’s broader assessment of bilateral relations. He stressed that Russia considers any moves it perceives as hostile to its interests as unacceptable and said such actions would not go unanswered.
Commenting on diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine, the Russian official said that discussions between Moscow and Washington are ongoing, citing understandings allegedly reached during a meeting between the Russian and U.S. presidents in Alaska. He argued that certain European governments are attempting to undermine peace efforts by encouraging Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to continue the fighting, which he characterized as ultimately self-destructive.
Pilipson further accused the EU of having followed a similar approach in the past, both during the implementation of the Minsk agreements in 2014–2015 and during the early stages of Russia-Ukraine negotiations in Istanbul in 2022. In his view, the EU has forfeited any role as a constructive mediator by what he described as persistent Russophobia and preparations for a large-scale conflict.
Turning to Greece, Pilipson delivered particularly harsh criticism, accusing Athens of hypocrisy for supplying weapons that, he claimed, are being used by Ukrainian forces against civilians in regions such as Donbas, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Crimea, and other southern areas. He emphasized that these regions are home to long-standing Greek communities and said Greek authorities are fully aware of this fact. He referred to these territories as Russian land, reflecting Moscow’s position.
At the same time, the Russian diplomat argued that Greece’s population does not necessarily share its government’s stance. He cited a public opinion survey published by the Greek newspaper Kathimerini last July, according to which nearly three-quarters of respondents favored Greece adopting a neutral position in the Ukraine conflict.
