Negotiating an End to Russia's Sanctions, Eventually

As the July 31 deadline approaches for the European Union to decide whether to renew sanctions on Russia, Moscow is working to curry favor with its allies in the bloc. Russian President Vladimir Putin will be in Athens on Friday, but on Thursday he was touting Greece's importance to Russia in an article published in Kathimerini, a leading Greek daily. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made a trip to Budapest on Wednesday, where he highlighted Russia's ties with Hungary. Of the Continental bloc's members, Greece and Hungary are two of the friendliest to Russia. Any threat to EU unanimity in the upcoming vote would likely come from them....