Cyprus is phasing out Russian weapons and expanding defense cooperation with the United States, according to a report from DW Europe. The report says Cyprus has moved from balancing ties between Russia and the West toward closer strategic alignment with Washington.
In an interview with the Cyprus News Agency on October 4, US Ambassador John Breslow outlined plans to upgrade the Andreas Papandreou Air Base in Paphos to accommodate large US military transport aircraft. He also announced more frequent visits by US warships to Cypriot ports and expanded joint military activities. Breslow said, "the United States will protect Cyprus in the future." The report notes that this remark does not constitute a formal US security guarantee.
The report traces the shift to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Konstantinos Adamides, an associate professor of international relations at the University of Nicosia, told DW that the invasion accelerated a geopolitical shift toward the West that had already begun. He said, "For the first time, the Republic of Cyprus openly and unequivocally chose to side with the West, despite the economic and political costs of breaking with Moscow." Adamides said the government's position on Russia helped convince Washington that Cyprus could be a reliable partner in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The report also cites earlier steps in the relationship. A bilateral statement of intent on security cooperation was signed in 2018. The US-funded Cyprus Center for Land, Open-seas and Port Security (CYCLOPS) opened in Larnaca in April 2022. In September 2022, Washington announced a suspension of the 1987 arms embargo on Cyprus, allowing export of lethal military equipment subject to US approvals. The report says the suspension is not permanent, has been renewed until September 30, 2027, and remains subject to periodic renewal.