Was it a U-turn from campaign promises, a shift towards realism, or a diplomatic tactic to convince European partners of the need to relieve Greek debt?

How are FinMin Yanis Varoufakis’ statements to the Financial Times interpreted, when he mentioned that Alexis Tsipras’ government doesn’t want a debt ‘haircut’, but a ‘debt exchange’ with ‘perpetual bonds’ and other financial tools?

FT claims that Yanis Varoufakis tried to sound less radical, and stated that the government will not ask for a haircut. Varoufakis’ statements were interpreted as a change in leftist SYRIZA’s rhetoric. The Greek FinMin said the essence of the issue is clear: Making the Greek debt viable will pave the way for real growth and the Greek people will finally be able to “breathe freely”.
He also said the new government will not back down even if some are ‘saddened’ by their resolve.