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The new US ambassador to Cyprus, John Breslow, outlined plans to upgrade the Andreas Papandreou Air Base in Paphos to accommodate large US military transport aircraft during an interview with the Cyprus News Agency on October 4. He also announced plans for more frequent visits by US warships to Cypriot ports and an expanded American military presence, highlighting a significant geopolitical shift away from decades of close ties with Russia.
The Non-alignment Years and Historical Ties With Moscow
Following independence from the United Kingdom in 1960, Cyprus sought to balance relations between East and West, becoming a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement in 1961 under Archbishop Makarios III. Even after joining the European Union in 2004, Cyprus maintained strong political, economic, and military ties with Moscow. Relations with the United States remained strained due to the 1974 Turkish invasion, the US arms embargo imposed in 1987, and historical anti-American sentiment.
This US arms embargo increased the Cypriot National Guard’s reliance on Russian-made weapons systems, cementing Moscow as a major military partner. Cyprus resisted tougher EU sanctions following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, and former President Nicos Anastasiades signed naval cooperation agreements with Russian President Vladimir Putin in February 2015. Cooperation continued until October 2021, when current President Nikos Christodoulides signed a Strategic Cooperation Framework for 2022–2024 in Moscow.
Turning Point in 2022 and Security Rapprochement
Konstantinos Adamides, an associate professor of international relations at the University of Nicosia, told Deutsche Welle: DW.com that Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 accelerated a geopolitical shift toward the West. Adamides stated that Cyprus openly chose to side with the West despite economic costs, convincing Washington of its reliability as a partner in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The security rapprochement included a bilateral statement of intent on security cooperation signed in 2018 and the inauguration of the US-funded CYCLOPS training facility in Larnaca in April 2022. Washington also fully suspended the 1987 arms embargo in September 2022, a decision recently renewed until September 30, 2027.
NATO Ambitions and Phasing Out Russian Weapons
Although Cyprus is not a NATO member, President Christodoulides noted that the country would apply to join the alliance immediately if political conditions permitted, though membership remains blocked by Turkey’s position.
To support its changing strategic orientation, Cyprus is modernizing its armed forces by gradually reducing its dependence on Russian-made T-80 tanks and Tor-M1 and Buk air defense systems, a process accelerated by sanctions that made securing spare parts difficult. Additionally, former US President Joe Biden authorized Cyprus to participate in US defense procurement programs, including Foreign Military Sales and Excess Defense Articles, in January 2025.
