ATHENS – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has complained that American meddling in Greece has disrupted long close relations with his country, worsening since Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Russia “used to be friends with Greece” until Greece submitted to “American demands,” the Russian Embassy in Athens tweeted Lavrov as saying, Greece having gone along with European Union sanctions over the invasion.

“We noted the transformation of its leadership. It was forced or it agreed to submit to American demands. We drew our conclusions about those who so happily supported aggression against Russia,” he said.

“The speed with which they switched not only to the ‘camp’ of those who signed the sanctions, but to the group leading anti-Russia actions was odd. It reflects the imposed line of aggressive opposition and not the interest of the Greeks,” he added.

Greece has pulled back from supplying Ukraine with more weapons, including Soviet-made S-300 missile defense systems it obtained from Cyprus, which Russia said can’t be sent to another country without its permission.

Greece’s New Democracy government had renewed a military cooperation agreement with the United States to include more American bases and troops stationed in the country.