Alexis Tsipras, Greece’s prime minister, meets Vladimir Putin in Moscow today with his country’s euro membership in the balance. Greece’s negotiations with its creditors have stalled, obliging the government to raid state kitties and delay settlements with suppliers to make repayments; a €458m ($497m) transfer to the IMF is due tomorrow. Some Europeans fear Mr Tsipras could offer to veto the EU’s sanctions on Russia, which will expire in July without a unanimous vote, in exchange for a huge bail-out from Mr Putin. That seems improbable: for all his foibles Mr Tsipras is unlikely to revise Greece’s strategic orientation towards Europe, and a weakened Russia is hardly in a position to save Greece anyway. The talks may instead focus on joint projects in technology and energy, and perhaps Greece’s agricultural exports. Mr Tsipras will then return to Athens with his geopolitical options open—but his financial difficulties as acute as ever.