[Greek PM Tsipras welcomes Russian President Putin at the Maximos Mansion in Athens]Western sanctions against Russia are not productive, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Friday, weeks before the European Union is on track to renew them. The EU slapped sanctions on Russia after Moscow annexed Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014. "We have repeatedly said that ... the vicious circle of militarization, of Cold War rhetoric and of sanctions is not productive," Tsipras told reporters during a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Greece.