Greece will continue to arm Ukraine
Greece will continue to supply Ukraine with ammunition of all kinds but has refused the invaded country’s request to send any of its Soviet- and Russian-made air defense missile-systems (S-300, TOR-M1 and OSA-AK).
Ukrainian Defense Minister, Oleksii Reznikov, who visited Athens Thursday, reiterated the request for the missile systems. While repeating that sending over this systems will not be done, Greece, through Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos, signaled its readiness to continue sending ammunition, especially 155mm artillery shells.
Besides the continuing supply of ammunition, Panagiotopoulos and Reznikov agreed on Ukraine continue to receive shells produced by Hellenic Defense System (EAS) whose production capacity the government plans to upgrade. They also agreed that, eventually, and depending on the course of the war, the Greek Navy will assist Ukraine with its know-how on removing the many mines placed by Russia near the coast, especially near ports.
Before visiting Greece, Reznikov was in Bulgaria, which, despite its historical ties to Russia, has been one of Ukraine’s main suppliers of ammunition. And the Ukrainian official is not giving up yet on his quest to get Russia’s missile systems; on Friday, he travels to Cyprus, whose National Guard uses many weapons built in Russia and other Eastern European countries.
“I am certain your country fully understands what a threat from a neighboring country means and I know you support us precisely because you know,” Reznikov said upon arriving at the Greek defense ministry. “Greece has been a very good partner and I am certain that this bilateral cooperation will continue,” he added.
Panagiotopoulos said that from the moment this “harsh and unprovoked aggressive action,” as he called it, unfolded, Greece is at Ukraine’s side. “From day one, Greece sent humanitarian aid and offered what military assistance it could to Ukraine and its armed forces, so you can defend your country,” he added. “Our stand against any kind of revisionism…is very clear and steadfast,” Panagiotopoulos said.
