Greek PM facing a tough balancing act at EU summit

At his first European Council meeting this week, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will face a difficult balancing act of backing further funding for Turkey to curb the flow of refugees through Greece while also supporting sanctions against Ankara for its illegal drilling off Cyprus and its incursion in northern Syria.

The official agenda of the summit, which is scheduled for Thursday and Friday, is topped by Brexit and the European Union budget. However, the bloc's increasingly difficult relationship with Turkey is expected to figure prominently in the wake of its military intervention in Syria and its ongoing transgressions in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Both Athens and Berlin are keen to ensure that an agreement for migrant returns signed between Ankara and Brussels in March 2016 is not jeopardized and are in favor of additional funding for Turkey to secure its...