# Cyprus: From ties with Russia to a strategic alignment with the US

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/cyprus-from-ties-with-russia-to-a-strategic-alignment-with-the-us/
- Published: 2026-11-03T14:28:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-03T20:08:26+00:00
- Original publisher: DW
- Original article: https://www.dw.com/en/cyprus-from-ties-with-russia-to-a-strategic-alignment-with-the-us/a-79841251?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf
- Topics: Americas, Europe, World

## Key points

- Cyprus is deepening defence cooperation with the United States.
- US plans include upgrading an air base and increasing naval visits.
- The shift follows decades of close military ties with Russia.

## Summary

Cyprus is moving closer to the United States, expanding defence cooperation as it gradually reduces its reliance on Russian weapons and military ties. The shift is significant for a country that is not in NATO and has long balanced relations between Russia and the West; a US ambassador’s pledge that Washington would protect Cyprus signalled closer ties, but was not a formal security guarantee.

The United States plans to upgrade Paphos’s Andreas Papandreou Air Base for large transport aircraft, increase warship visits to Cypriot ports and expand joint military activities. Cyprus’s historic mistrust of Washington reflects the US response to Turkey’s 1974 invasion and a US arms embargo imposed in 1987, which helped drive reliance on Russian systems. Ties with Moscow remained strong for decades, including a €2.5 billion Russian loan and agreements on naval cooperation, though the article’s supplied text ends as it introduces a turning point in February 2022.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.