Although Sotiris Serbos does not name Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Giorgos Gerapetritis directly, his barbs regarding the government's foreign policy are more than evident.
The former foreign policy advisor to the Prime Minister was particularly trenchant during a radio interview following the visit of Marco Rubio to Athens, sending a message that can hardly go unnoticed at the Maximos Mansion: Greece, as he said, cannot hide behind the United States when it comes to exercising its sovereign rights.
His reference to the cable and especially to the case of Kasos is characteristic.
Serbos spoke of a «retreat without logic», arguing that a negative precedent was created.
And he did not stop there.
He put forward an entirely different logic from that of constantly seeking American cover: the Greek Foreign Minister, according to him, should have told his American counterpart that Athens will proceed with the project «with or without the US».
The barb about the «American umbrella»
Serbos essentially questions the logic of a foreign policy that, as he describes it, appears excessively accommodating toward Washington.
He does not call for a rupture with the US. He asks, however, for something clear: quid pro quos, explicit positions, and above all, Greek initiative.
The trigger for all this was the statement by Rubio regarding a diplomatic solution with Turkey on the cable.
His phrase, also, that «Greece must stop hiding behind skirts» is among those that can hardly be misinterpreted.
For a man who until recently belonged to the inner circle of the Prime Minister's staff, this wording carries even greater political weight.
And the message directly concerns the way in which Athens manages its relationship with Washington.
Serbos argues that Rubio serves as a «doorway» for Athens to the White House, since, according to his assessment, there is no unmediated communication between Maximos Mansion and the White House.
From Maximos Mansion to direct criticism
Serbos is not an outside commentator.
He was a foreign policy advisor to the Prime Minister, worked inside the Maximos Mansion, and his departure from Maximos came during a period in which Greek-Turkish relations, the Eastern Mediterranean, and relations with Washington are in a particularly delicate phase.
This was preceded by his public divergence from American policy choices, when he had used particularly harsh language regarding moves by the Trump administration.
At that time, the Maximos Mansion hastened to clarify that these views represented neither the government nor the Prime Minister.
Indeed, a well-known and powerful parliamentary figure emphasized that the Americans... ousted Serbos, explaining that they knew his views and that it was clear he was persona non grata.
Today, Serbos returns and takes an even clearer stance.
This time the message does not concern only Washington.
It also concerns Athens: that Greece, instead of waiting to see what the Americans will say, must decide what it wants itself and assert it.
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