Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Greece has been actively providing military support to Ukraine, including material and technical aid, as well as training.
On Thursday, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a bilateral security agreement in Brussels. The Greek government stated that this agreement would enable Greeks to participate in the reconstruction of Ukraine, particularly in the port city of Odesa, a city traditionally linked to Greece.
Greece remains committed to addressing Ukraine’s urgent defence needs and will also allocate additional resources to expedite F-16 training for Ukrainian pilots and technicians.
“I extend my gratitude to Greece for its assistance and the opportunities provided for the defence of our country and people,” President Zelenskyy posted on X.
Greek government sources have stated that Athens supports Ukraine and will continue to do so “to the extent possible, provided that it does not threaten the country’s defence capabilities.” This statement comes after the bilateral security agreement signed in Brussels during the European Council summit. With this agreement, Greece has become the 21st EU country to formalise support for Ukraine.
However, pro-Moscow solid sentiments in Greece span the far right to the far left, hindering the government from adopting a more active support policy. Recently, two former Prime Ministers from the ruling New Democracy conservative party, Konstantinos Karamanlis and Antonis Samaras, publicly criticised Prime Minister Mitsotakis’ support for Ukraine, emphasising Greece’s “traditional” ties with Russia.
