Putin’s wallet is not fat enough to help – Expressen

LONDON. The money is out of Greece.

again.

So now knocking Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras at the Kremlin gates cap in hand.

Greek drama is back. It leaves us well not alone longer than the maximum a few weeks at a time.

In the morning due on a loan to the International Monetary Fund and it has been up to the last was unclear whether Greece could pay the 458 million euros.

Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakisk flew to Washington on Sunday to personally guarantee that Greece will make it. It remains then to see if there is money for Greek pensions to be paid next week.

The dilemma is entitled familiar by now. The lenders – the European Union, the European Central Bank and the IMF – sets requirements for continued support, requirements that the new Greek government won the election by not continue to meet.

So it has raised some wrinkled brows when the now Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in Day came to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trying Greeks find other funding? Russia and Greece have historical and religious ties.

Tsipras also made clear before the trip in an interview with the Russian news agency Tass that the sanctions against Russia is a “dead end”. It is understood music in Putin’s ears.

The Russian leader does not mind that as fragmentation of the EU. Decision to continue sanctions, require unanimity among all 28 EU states.

So it is in Putin’s interest to have a friend in Tsipras. He also cultivate the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in full swing.

But if Tsipras believe that Russia could replace aid from the EU and IMF so misjudge himself seriously. Such money is simply not in Moscow.

Russia has certainly still an impressive foreign reserves – thank oil and gas for it – but it is shrinking rapidly and the Russian economy runs. Russia’s economy is also not larger than the Netherlands.

But some assistance could probably get Greece. The Russians have suggested that the ban on importing food from the EU that Moscow introduced last year, can be partially lifted for some countries. Maybe feta cheese may recur in Russian stores soon.

Tsipras is the first head of government from the EU who visit Moscow since the assassination of opposition leader Boris Nemtsov in February. Other EU leaders will not take kindly if he openly tries to charm those in power in the Kremlin.

And Greece has in modern times its home lived in the West, in organizations such as the EU and NATO. It is Tsipras Greeks who will lose most from the embrace of Putin.

But Greece’s new government is currently doing little to charm their EU brethren, let alone to agree with the Germans. Defense Minister Panos Kammenos came on the contrary a week with estimates of how much Germany owes Greece for the occupation during World War II.

It is about huge 287 billion euros indeed. It does not feel like a particularly viable approach.

And as I said, will soon be out of money again. Putin’s wallet is not fat enough to help Tsipras out of this pickle.