Europe may be losing patience with Greece, but politicians in Athens are also growing increasingly sensitive to criticism from abroad. Greek President Karolos Papoulias has now gone public with his frustration over pressure from Germany. On Wednesday night, he gave the German finance minister a tongue-lashing.

As the wrangling over a second aid package for Greece goes down to the wire, the tone between Berlin and Athens is growing ever-shriller.

Responding to Germany's firm position on Greece's debt crisis, President Karolos Papoulias verbally attacked German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble on Wednesday night. "I don't accept insults to my country by Mr. Schauble," a visibly angry Papoulias said. "I don't accept it as a Greek. Who is Mr. Schauble to ridicule Greece? Who are the Dutch? Who are the Finns?" The 82-year-old head of state was speaking on Wednesday during a meal with the country's defense minister and leading military representatives.

"We always had the pride to defend not just our own freedom, not just our own country, but the freedom of all of Europe," said Papoulias, who as a young man fought against the Nazi occupiers in Greece. Later, he studied law in Munich and Cologne, and he speaks fluent German.

Resentment over the demands being made by Germany is also growing within the Greek population. German flags have been burned at recent protests, and newspapers have published photo montages depicting German Chancellor Angela Merkel in a Nazi uniform. And now politicians have gone public with their frustration. On Wednesday night, Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos also accused vaguely defined "forces in Europe" of trying to drive Greece out of the euro zone.