Greece-Russia Overtures Seen as Sideshow by Merkel, Hollande
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Germany and France view Greece’s overtures toward Russia as a sideshow and won’t be drawn into a debate on the matter, three government officials said.
That strategy stems from Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Francois Hollande’s belief that Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’ talks with President Vladimir Putin are not likely to yield significant aid -- especially given Russia’s own economic woes -- and are more political theater than any real geopolitical shift, said the officials, who asked not to be identified discussing internal deliberations.