The Ukrainian Factor in Greek-Russian Relations: Lost Prospects and Stagnation

The history of Greek-Russian bilateral relations is characterized by periods of close and fruitful cooperation, interspersed with periods of calm and even confrontation. Meanwhile, Greece stands as a state, often carrying out a kind of a dialogue bridge between the West and Russia. The current global changes in the world, including in the political arena, have had a cardinal impact on Greek-Russian bilateral relations, questioning their further mutually beneficial cooperation: the reason for this was the international diplomatic isolation of the Russian Federation by Western states in the context of the Ukrainian conflict, which escalated in early 2022. The objectives of the research were to analyze the current bilateral ties between Greece and Russia in the context of the current state of international relations through the prism of the Ukrainian conflict, to determine the role of Kiev in the diplomatic relations between Athens and Moscow and to study the position of the Greek leadership towards Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine. At the same time, the public opinion of ordinary citizens of the Greek state was studied in relation to the current political activities of Moscow, taking into account the disinformation process in the Western and Greek media. The main research methods chosen were the concrete historical method and the case study. The authors concluded that in the context of a protracted conflict between the Euro-Atlantic community and Russia, Moscow’s relations with Athens, which, in turn, took a pro-Western position, will deteriorate both bilaterally and at the interethnic level. The authors also assumed a change in Russia’s regional priorities: Greece, as Moscow’s key regional partner in the Balkan region, the Black Sea region and the Mediterranean, was ousted by its main opponent, Türkiye, which was largely facilitated by the cooling of Greek-Russian relations and the position taken by Athens regarding the Ukrainian conflict. Preliminary conclusions are also presented on the consequences of the implemented Greece’s current foreign policy towards Russia and the impact of the Ukrainian conflict on Greek-Russian relations.