All those involved in the Ukrainian crisis these days are watching Greece’s stance.

Clearly, our country is not the key to the resolution of the biggest diplomatic puzzle of recent years in US-Russia relations.

Greece’s stance toward developments in Ukraine is a perplexing puzzle, not only due to Greece’s geostrategic position, but also because there is a large Greek community in the broader region and because of the stance of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

There are many diplomatic traps and any move can boomerang if it is not properly prepared. It is necessary for Greece to maintain as much as possible a calm and stable stance on the Ukrainian issue.

Greece is a Western country and must behave as such in the coming period, as the quest for solidarity and unity between allies is already apparent.

At the same time, balances with the Russian side are very delicate and must be maintained, so that Greece can continue to be considered by all sides as a credible force for stability in the broader region.

What happens in the immediate future is of exceptional importance in the development of the Ukrainian crisis, as every party is weighing its moves and is gauging how much room there is to avert a prospective major energy crisis that will have a direct impact on Europe.

Greece is following the same line, and the only certain thing is that a delicate handling of the issue with surgical precision is in our favour.