Azernews.Az

By Bloomberg

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and President Vladimir Putin will discuss European Union sanctions against Russia at talks next week in Moscow, according to the Kremlin.

“Russia-EU relations will be discussed in light of the sanctions policy applied by the EU and the rather cold attitude toward this sanctions policy from Athens,” Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters Friday on a conference call.

Russia has been building ties with European countries that may help it scuttle the sanctions. The 28-member bloc will need unanimous approval to prolong measures targeting Russia’s financial and energy industries which expire in July.

Putin and Tsipras will also discuss the economic situation in the Balkan country, Peskov said. Greece, the EU’s most- indebted state, hasn’t asked Russia yet for any financial aid, he said.

Greece opposes EU sanctions imposed against Russia over the conflict in Ukraine, Tsipras reiterated last week, denouncing the approach as “senseless” and calling for a negotiated solution.

The government in Athens is locked in negotiations with euro-area countries and the International Monetary Fund over the terms of its 240 billion-euro ($261 billion) rescue. The standoff, which has left Greece dependent upon European Central Bank loans, risks leading to a default within weeks and the nation’s potential exit from the euro area.