In a Facebook post on Wednesday afternoon Alexis Tsipras – or one of his aides – wrote that “the foundations for a substantive restart of Greek-Russian relations” was taken during a meeting in Moscow with Vladimir Putin.

He also repeated that Greece is a “sovereign country with the right to conduct a multi-dimensional foreign policy and to exploit its geopolitical role”.

In a dispatch from Moscow, the New York Times highlighted the Greek premier’s comment of EU sanctions against Russia being a “road that leads nowhere”, with the paper saying the phrase raised concerns in Europe of “rifts” within the EU’s policy vis-à-vis Putin’s Russia.

On its part, FT wrote that “… while the Greek prime minister repeated his criticism of sanctions, he also appeared to reassure fellow EU members over fears that Greece could break ranks. He said that while Greece was seeking to build “relations of confidence and trust with the Russian Federation”, it remained an EU member and was “complying with all the commitments we have made to the EU … Mr Putin also dismissed the idea that Russia would prop up Athens with cash in its fight with EU creditors. “The Greek side did not ask us for help,” he said.

A day after published statements warning the leftist government in Athens not to sidestep the common EU line on sanctions against Russia, European Parliament President Martin Schulz told ZDF television that Tsipras did not veer from the Europe’s position after all.

“Despite the friendliness between Mr. Putin and Mr. Tsipras, he (latter) did not abandon the line, which we expect from him.”

In the evening Tsipras attended an event in Moscow hosted by representatives of ethnic Greek communities in Russia.