Russia warns Cyprus over participation in Ukraine security arrangements
Source: in-cyprus.com
A senior Russian diplomat has accused Cyprus of “sinking” into the European Union’s confrontational course against Russia since 2022, claiming Cypriot officials regularly promise continued economic and military aid to Ukraine.
Yuri Pilipson, director of the Second European Department at the Russian Foreign Ministry, told Russian state agency TASS that within the EU’s common approaches, Cypriot leadership representatives regularly stand out with promises to continue aid to the Kyiv regime and call for increased EU defence potential under the pretext of a supposed Russian threat.
Russia has also noted Nicosia’s previously expressed readiness to participate in any union created to secure security and stability conditions in Ukraine, Pilipson said.
“It is self-evident that all attacks against Russian interests don’t and won’t remain without adequate assessment and response,” he stated.
Regarding a peace plan for Ukraine, Pilipson said consultations continue between Russia and the United States in the spirit of understandings reached at a presidential meeting in Alaska.
The Russian diplomat claimed it’s obvious a war party in Europe is trying to prevent peace by pushing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to continue essentially suicidal hostilities.
The EU followed a similar undermining line both in the framework of the Minsk agreements in 2014-2015 and at the start of Russian-Ukrainian negotiations in Istanbul in 2022, Pilipson claimed. This way, the EU removed itself from the list of those constructively participating in settlement and, having an obsession with Russophobia and preparations for a big war, cannot return to this circle, he said.
Greece accusations
In statements about Greece’s foreign policy, the Russian diplomat spoke of “particular cynicism,” claiming Ukrainian armed forces use weaponry provided by Athens against civilians in the Donbas, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, in Crimea and other southern areas where a large Greek community has always lived and which the Greek leadership knows well.
Pilipson characterises these areas as Russian territory, noting the Greek population doesn’t share this approach. He cited a Kathimerini poll conducted last July showing 72% of respondents believe Athens should take a neutral position in the Ukrainian conflict.
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