Tsipras Bets He Can Keep EU Aid Flowing While Ending Austerity

Alexis Tsipras is betting he can have it all. The leader of Greece’s Syriza party aims to win over voters by promising an end to punishing austerity while keeping the European Union’s financial-aid flowing.

“We have no sense that European partners will follow this tactic of blackmail heard from some quarters and stop funding,” Tsipras, whose party is vying for first place in polls before June 17 elections, said in an interview in Athens yesterday with Bloomberg Television. “Something like that would be catastrophic not only for Greece but for the entire euro area.”