Greece will not supply Ukraine with Patriot air defense systems or S-300 missiles, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in an interview with the news outlet Iefimerida on April 25.
Greek media reported on April 22 that Athens planned to send at least one Patriot system to Ukraine, following pressure from the European Union to ramp up air defense assistance to Kyiv.
Mitsotakis said on April 25 that Greece would not send Ukraine either Patriots or S-300s, despite these requests and Ukraine's critical air defense shortage.
"Greece supported Ukraine in various ways, with defense materials," Mitsotakis said.
"But we said from the first moment that we cannot get rid of the weapons systems that are of crucial importance for our deterrence capabilities."
According to Mitsotakis, sending the equiptment to Ukraine would pose too great of a risk to Greek air security.
"We have a surplus of material with which we can support Ukraine, we did it, and I believe that this is the right choice. And, if we can find such material, we will continue to do so. But the air defense systems you mentioned are critical for the protection of Greek airspace and will not be provided to Ukraine."
Escalating Russian strikes and resulting civilian casualties underscore Ukraine's dire need for additional air defenses.
President Volodymyr Zelensky on April 19 urged allies to move from discussions to concrete decisions on air defense aid, following a Russian missile attack on Dnipro.
"This year cannot be just a year of further discussions. Everything is quite specific now. Ukraine needs air defense, and the partners can help with it," Zelensky said.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
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