Athens and Nicosia on alert over possible Turkey-Syria EEZ delimitation deal
Athens remains vigilant and ready to collaborate with partners and allies in addressing a potential scenario involving the delineation of an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between Turkey and Syria – a move that could undermine the Republic of Cyprus’ interests in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Mitsotakis: Greek initiative for informal EU summit on European defense
The consolidation of stability in Syria after the collapse of the Assad regime is in the interest of all parties involved, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said during the press conference late on Thursday in Brussels after the end of the European Union Summit.
ND maintains significant lead, PASOK steady in second place, poll shows
A new nationwide survey conducted by Pulse shows the ruling conservative New Democracy party maintaining a significant lead, while socialist PASOK, now the main opposition party following defections from the leftist SYRIZA party, remains steady in second place.
Parliament passes bill on railway network restructuring
The bill of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport entitled “Restructuring the railway sector and strengthening transport regulatory bodies” was passed in principle by the parliamentary plenary with 157 votes in favour, 133 against and one abstention.
https://www.amna.gr/en/article/872053/Parliament-passes-bill-on-railway-network-restructuring
ATHEX: Index offsets early losses by closing
Athinon Avenue ended Thursday with hardly any changes to its main indexes. The day started off with a decline, as the expected 25-basis point cut by the Fed on Wednesday was already priced in, while the caution the US central bank showed in its statement led markets to believe a more restrained year is looming, according to a PIMCO commentary. However, toward the end of the session, certain blue chips recovered and offset all of the benchmark’s early losses.
https://www.ekathimerini.com/economy/1256847/athex-index-offsets-early-losses-by-closing
KATHIMERINI: 15 complaints per day regarding online frauds
TA NEA: Metron Analysis poll: the political paradoxes and five explanations
EFIMERIDA TON SYNTAKTON: Asphyxiation zones in Athens due to tourism
RIZOSPASTIS: The rails of “deregulation” and profit lead to a new “Tempi tragedy“
KONTRA NEWS: Large retail groups set up a cartel
DIMOKRATIA: 3.926.439 Greeks owe to the tax office
NAFTEMPORIKI: Triple maneuver regarding living criteria
DRIVING THE DAY: NOT THE TIME FOR PEACE TALKS
SPLIT SCREEN: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held separate press conferences in Moscow and Brussels Thursday, lobbing barbs at each other and presenting starkly different visions for the future of the war. Incoming U.S. President Donald Trump loomed large in both discussions, while in Brussels EU leaders appeared to unite behind a three-pronged strategy: Flatter Trump, support Kyiv, don’t speak about the future.
In Moscow: Putin gave his choreographed annual televised Q&A session, which lasted over four hours. He claimed he was ready to meet Trump to discuss the war, and would be open to a “dialogue” with Ukraine — but only on the basis of the current territorial reality (a non-starter for Kyiv).
No regrets: Does he regret launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine back in February 2022? Nah — Putin reckons he should have done it sooner. “I have done everything so that Russia can be an independent sovereign state,” a bullish Putin said in response to a question from the BBC’s Steve Rosenberg, who listed a litany of the president’s failings, from rising inflation to Ukraine’s counteroffensive in Kursk. My colleague Victor Jack has a write-up here.
In Brussels: Zelenskyy, fresh from meeting European leaders, blasted Putin for saying he’d like to have an experimental high-tech duel with Western air defenses by firing an Oreshnik ballistic missile at Kyiv. “Do you believe a reasonable person could say that?” Zelenskyy said. “For him [human life] doesn’t matter … I think he’s crazy, I think so. Really, I think he also thinks that he’s crazy. He loves to kill.”
Armchair psychoanalysis: Putin is “an old fantasist, he lives in a different world, he lives in his own aquarium I’m afraid,” Zelenskyy said — before calling the Russian leader a “dumbass” on social media.
Unstable definition: Putin claimed the Russian economy was “stable;” Zelenskyy claimed the frontline was “stable.” Both might want to check a dictionary.
THE BIG PICTURE: The European Council came hot on the heels of a meeting of a top cadre of European leaders at NATO on Wednesday, hosted by the alliance’s Secretary-General Mark Rutte … where, according to Zelenskyy, there was a discussion about how European soldiers could help secure Ukraine, presumably after a cease-fire or peace deal.
Why a guaranteed peace matters: Zelenskyy sketched out an imaginary scenario after the brokering of a shaky peace. “Can you imagine that in two months Putin will come back, in six months, in one year, in two years? Who will lose? Everybody … After this I don’t know what we will do,” he told reporters.
No guarantees without Uncle Sam: As the FT splashes this morning, the big news from the summit was Zelenskyy’s candid acknowledgement that there’s no such thing as European security guarantees without American backing, and that NATO — by which he meant the U.S. — will need to back up any post-war settlement. “It is very important for us to have both on board, the United States of America and Europeans,” Zelenskyy said. He added pointedly that European guarantees alone “won’t be sufficient.”
On the same page as Zelenskyy, for once: Viktor Orbán. “I think we all agreed on the fact that the future and stability of Europe depends greatly on whether or not we can maintain our transatlantic cooperation,” said Hungary’s PM.
The soldiers in Spain stay mainly out of Ukraine: Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said “we do not see the deployment of Spanish troops on Ukrainian soil,” when asked by POLITICO’s Max Griera whether he would support a peace-keeping operation in Ukraine after the war ends. French President Emmanuel Macron has been touting the idea.
Presidential obfuscation: It would be a galling admission for European leaders busting their guts to help Ukraine, so perhaps unsurprisinglyZelenskyy’s candor wasn’t matched on the EU side. Pressed last night, neither Costa nor European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen gave a straightforward answer to whether they agreed with Zelenskyy that European security guarantees alone won’t suffice. Instead, they rigidly stuck to the script about the EU’s desire to strengthen Ukraine as much as possible, and that the future peace terms, and timing of talks with Russia, are for Kyiv to set out.
In the meantime: The EU’s strategy appears to be flattering Trump, wishfully projecting onto him, and turning a blind eye to some of his more alarming statements about how he’d like to bring the conflict to a swift resolution.
For example: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz got off the phone with Trump last night and declared: “I am quite confident that the U.S., like Europe, will continue its support for Ukraine.” If you say so, Olaf. “I have no signs that the U.S. would pull back in their support,” added Belgian PM Alexander De Croo.
Zelenskyy also flattered Trump: “I think that President Trump is a strong man and I want very much to have him on our side,” he said.
Meanwhile, he told the Europeans to step up. Zelenskyy asked for more help with air defenses to protect energy infrastructure, pointed out that EU-manufactured components allow Putin to build missiles, and suggested that promises by Europeans to train Ukrainian brigades have not been kept.
HOLD YOUR HORSES: “Any push for negotiations too soon will actually be a bad deal for Ukraine,” said Kaja Kallas, the EU’s top diplomat. Zelenskyy talked about being “pushed toward a big pit where we might fall,” while insisting he wants the war to end.
“Win” is the hardest word: “Russia must not prevail,” the European Council said in its agreed document on Ukraine. That contrasts with Kallas’ insistence that Ukraine must win — but EU leaders can’t seem to bring themselves to go that far. Standing next to Zelenskyy, Costa went for a different formulation: “International law must prevail, and the invasion must be defeated,” the Council president said.
Hold on a second: The Council website said “Ukraine must win this war.” But contacted by Playbook, a Council official said this was a mistake and would be rectified.
ZELENSKYY VS. FICO: Over in Russia, Putin said a controversial deal that allows Central European nations to buy Moscow’s gas via Ukraine would expire, Gabriel Gavin reports. Slovak PM Robert Fico was among those pleading at the summit for its continuation. Zelenskyy lashed out at Slovakia, saying: “It’s a bit shameful to talk about money because we are losing people.” Fico later told reporters that Zelenskyy’s proposals to him behind closed doors were “absurd” and suggested Ukraine was taking the liberty to damage an EU member’s economy.
Stunning claim: Fico said that after he told Zelenskyy that Slovakia could lose about €500 million in gas transit fees a year, the Ukrainian president “asked me if I would then vote for NATO membership if he gave me €500 million of Russian assets, and of course, I said ‘never.’” Playbook reached out to Zelenskyy’s press secretary for comment (and to confirm whether the Ukrainian president actually made that offer), but we hadn’t heard back at the time of publishing.
G7 SEEKS TO TOUGHEN RUSSIAN OIL PRICE CAP: Meanwhile, G7 nations are exploring ways to toughen the price cap on Russian oil, Bloomberg reports. While there’s no consensus, the paper reports some of the options being considered range from a full ban on handling Russian crude to lowering the price threshold from the current $60 to about $40.
NOW READ THIS: Ukraine’s defense procurement problems risk sabotaging its war efforts, reports Veronika Melkozerova in a feature out this morning.
HUNGARIAN PRESIDENCY
THE REAL TRUCE — URSULA AND VIKTOR: Ursula von der Leyen struck a friendly tone last night, when thanking Orbán for his stewardship of the Council of the EU presidency over the past six months.
Burying the hatchet: “I count many achievements during this term,” von der Leyen said, listing off Romania and Bulgaria’s full entry into the Schengen zone, a G7 deal on Ukraine and progress on EU enlargement. “Thank you for your efforts during the presidency.”
That’s a big shift from von der Leyen’s blistering speech in October, when she slammed Orbán to his face for cozying up to Putin, nesting down with China and Russia and generally letting Hungarians down. Orbán said they had managed to “put aside all political disagreements” to cooperate.
Misuse the mandate of the Council? Who? Little old me? Orbán used his time at the podium to claim that he was well aware that without consensus he was not able to represent the EU, and that everything he did during the Hungarian presidency — that trip to Moscow to meet Putin, to Beijing to meet Xi Jinping, the long phone call with Donald Trump, and now the supposed proposal for a cease-fire in Ukraine — was mere “bilateral diplomacy.”
False modesty alarm: “We’re not thinking along the lines of geopolitical solutions — that’s in the big boys’ league,” Orbán said.
VDL, TRANSPARENTLY OPAQUE: There’s a growing culture of secrecy at the Commission, warns outgoing European Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly in this week’s episode of the EU Confidential podcast. She critiques the EU executive’s “controlling” approach to showing its working to citizens, and tells host Sarah Wheaton: “The culture always comes from the top.” Mari Eccles has a sharp write-up in her EU Influence newsletter too. Listen and subscribe here.
FINAL SUMMIT NUGGETS
GEORGIA SANCTIONS ON HER MIND: Kaja Kallas said at the EUCO that despite there being no agreement yet to sanction those responsible for turning Georgia away from its EU path, the bloc will keep working on it. According to Radio Free Europe, the Commission will today present the proposal to suspend visas for Georgian officials.
NEXT STEP, RESET THE ECONOMY: Council President Costa said the next meeting of the European Council on March 20-21 will focus on boosting Europe’s flagging economy, from competitiveness to trade and jobs.
Good luck with that. As Carlo Martuscelli and Barbara Moens report in their big read out this morning, arresting Europe’s “slow agony” of decline is a significant — perhaps insurmountable — challenge for the EU’s leaders.
EUROPE UNGOVERNED
EN ATTENDANT BELGIUM: Former European Council President Charles Michel didn’t show up to a photo to mark the 50th anniversary of the Council on Thursday. But another once-powerful Belgian was present.
Teflon De Croo: Six months after his farewell press conference to mark the end of Belgium’s presidency of the Council, PM De Croo represented his country at yet another EU summit. He was voted out way before that June press conference but remains PM. Belgian media reports there won’t be a new government this side of the new year. Bart De Wever, the Flemish nationalist tasked with forming the government, is expected at the Royal Palace today, for the 14th time since the June election, to deliver a progress report to the king, Le Soir reports.
MEANWHILE, IN FRANCE: François Bayrou, the new French prime minister, said he’d name a new government before Christmas, or even as soon as this weekend. On Thursday he met all political forces except the far-left France Unbowed and far-right National Rally. He said on TV last night that he wants Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, from the center-right Republicans, to remain part of the government, which has peeved the Socialists, whom he’ll need to keep onside if he wants to survive an immediate vote of no confidence.
WHITE HOUSE CHOREOGRAPHY
MIDNIGHT DEADLINE BEFORE SHUTDOWN: The U.S. is teetering on the edge of a government shutdown, after Republican support for Speaker Mike Johnson’s spending plan collapsed. Despite his absolute loyalty to Trump, Johnson’s job is now on the line, my Stateside colleagues report.
BIDEN SAVES THE LAST DANCE FOR MELONI: Outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden will travel to Rome next month to meet with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, President Sergio Mattarella and Pope Francis. The Jan. 9-12 trip to Rome is likely to be the last foreign visit of Biden’s presidency, Gigi Ewing reports.
What everyone in Washington is talking about: This Wall Street Journal deep dive into how White House aides tried to hide Biden’s mental state.
TRUMP’S ENVOYS: Seb Starcevic rounds up Trump’s seven most eye-opening European ambassador picks.
BRITAIN’S DARK PRINCE: Check out Emilio Casalicchio’s essential profile of Peter Mandelson, Britain’s “prince of darkness” U.S. ambassador pick, who is a former European commissioner for trade.
COURT REPORTS
HAPPENING TODAY — SALVINI VERDICT: An Italian court is today expected to deliver a verdict in the trial of Matteo Salvini over “kidnapping” charges related to his blocking of a ship carrying over 140 migrants in 2019. Background here.
POLISH MINISTER SEEKS ASYLUM IN HUNGARY: Former Polish Deputy Minister of Justice Marcin Romanowski has been granted political asylum in Hungary, per the Mandiner newspaper. Romanowski was earlier this year detained by Poland’s security service, with prosecutors saying he’d be charged with crimes including exceeding his powers and causing damage to the state treasury for personal and financial benefits.
PELICOT TRIAL: Fifty-one men in France were found guilty in the Gisèle Pelicot rape trial, including her ex-husband Dominique. The New York Times has a profile of a woman who has become a feminist icon.