Relationship dossier
Greece
Russia
Relationship assessment
Historical ties overshadowed by Greece’s support for sanctions and Russia’s confrontation with Greece over Ukraine.
Greece toward Russia
-45Greece has supported European Union sanctions against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine and expelled Russian diplomats. In 2018, Greece also expelled Russian diplomats amid allegations of interference in Greek affairs.
Russia toward Greece
-50Russia retaliated against Greece’s expulsion of Russian diplomats by expelling Greek diplomats in 2022 and designated Greece an unfriendly state following its support for sanctions.
Overall relationship
-40The bilateral relationship has historical and cultural connections, but Russia’s war against Ukraine has produced sustained confrontation. Greece’s participation in EU sanctions and the reciprocal expulsion of diplomats, alongside Russia’s designation of Greece as unfriendly, are major features of the current relationship.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Greece and Russia have longstanding cultural and historical connections, but government relations have deteriorated sharply over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Greece has supported EU sanctions and expelled Russian diplomats; Russia has retaliated by expelling Greek diplomats and designating Greece an unfriendly state. Earlier Greek allegations of Russian interference also contributed to friction. The relationship combines some historical affinity with substantial recent confrontation.
Areas of tension
- Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Greece’s support for EU sanctions
- Reciprocal expulsions of Greek and Russian diplomats
- Greek allegations of Russian interference in 2018
Key developments
Greece expelled Russian diplomats amid allegations of Russian interference in Greek affairs.
Greece expelled Russian diplomats after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russia expelled Greek diplomats in retaliation and designated Greece an unfriendly state.
Major uncertainties
- The current scope of remaining Greek-Russian bilateral cooperation is unclear.
- The extent to which earlier cultural and economic ties continue to shape government policy is uncertain.