BRUSSELS
The European Commission has called for unity among its member states amid speculation Russia may be set to offer Greece trading concessions and loans and discounts on supplies of natural gas.
The call came as Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras flew to Moscow on Wednesday to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss Russia and EU ties – which have been badly affected by the crisis in Ukraine.
Chief EU spokesman Margaritis Schinas told reporters in Brussels on Wednesday: "All members of the (EU) family do not travel necessarily to the same places, but they are all members of the family and have the same view of the world."
Russian agriculture minister Nikolai Fyodorov said on Tuesday that Athens could be made exempt from Russia's ban imposed last year on imports of EU agricultural products in response to sanctions imposed by the EU bloc over the Ukraine crisis.
Tsipras's visit to Russia comes as Greece risks running out funds by the end of April to run its banks and public services.
'Road to nowhere'
However, the Greek government said ahead of Tsipras’s visit to Moscow that it would not seek aid from Russia.
Tsipras told Russian news agency Itar-Tass on March 31, that Western sanctions against Russia leads to a "road to nowhere".
Tsipras said: "We do not agree with sanctions. I believe that this is a road to nowhere.
"I support the point of view that there is a need for a dialogue and diplomacy, we should sit down at the negotiating table and find the solutions to major problems."
Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis assured International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde on Sunday that Greece would pay a €450 million loan repayment to the IMF, due on Thursday.
