Neither Patriot nor S-300
Greece does not supply Ukraine with air defense systems
April 25, 2024, 10:15 p.m
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To protect its airspace, Ukraine relies on additional air defense systems from its allies. Athens is now clearly rejecting the request. According to Prime Minister Mitsotakis, Greece cannot do without such systems.
Greece will not supply Patriot or S-300 air defense systems to Ukraine. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said this in an interview with the Greek TV channel Skai. “Greece will not send S-300s or Patriots to Ukraine,” Mitsotakis said. His country has already helped Ukraine with other types of defense material. Athens cannot supply weapons systems that are crucial for the country itself.
Reports recently appeared in the international media that major EU states had put pressure on Greece to supply air defense systems to Ukraine. Mitsotakis confirmed that there had been inquiries. He stated that Athens was ready to supply surplus material of a different type. “To the extent that we can find such material, we will,” Mitsotakis added.
One reason for the head of government’s stance is probably that there are repeated periods of serious tension between NATO partners Greece and Turkey over sovereign rights in the Aegean and the exploitation of possible natural gas fields in the eastern Mediterranean. In addition, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan repeatedly questioned Greece’s sovereignty over numerous Greek islands – including Rhodes, Samos and Lesbos – last year.
In view of increased Russian air strikes, Ukraine has been asking for additional anti-aircraft systems for months. President Volodymyr Zelensky recently wrote on Platform According to information from Kiev, five to eight more Patriot systems are needed to protect the airspace over the country with some degree of reliability. At the beginning of the week, Poland had already rejected the delivery of Patriot systems from its own stocks.