Greece Denies Plans to Supply Patriot Defense Systems to Ukraine

6 May, Greece

Greece has denied plans to send Patriot or S-300 air defense systems to Ukraine.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has categorically denied claims that Greece plans to provide Patriot or S-300 air defense systems to Ukraine. Mitsotakis insisted that the systems are a vital part of the country’s national defense and cannot be sacrificed, even in the face of increasing pressure from NATO and EU allies to help Ukraine’s air defenses in the face of increasing Russian attacks.

“Greece will not give S-300 or Patriot to Ukraine,” Mitsotakis said, underlining the strategic importance of the systems to the defense of Greek airspace. “We were approached and we made clear the reasons why we cannot do it,” he added, saying that while Greece has been assisting Ukraine in many different ways, it cannot put its deterrent at risk.

Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis repeated the Prime Minister’s assurance that nothing would be done that would compromise the country’s deterrent potential. In his words, while Greece has provided tangible assistance to Ukraine, it will not risk its air defense systems.

The Financial Times earlier reported that European leaders had requested Greece and Spain to supply air defense systems to Ukraine during a summit in Brussels. However, both countries have been hesitant to commit, citing their own defense needs.

Even though Germany recently said it would send a Patriot system to Ukraine, others within NATO are not cooperative. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius criticized those with more than one Patriot system for doing nothing, arguing that non-frontline nations could spare what they had.

Ukraine itself has been loudest in calling for more air defense systems, with its President Volodymyr Zelenskyy maintaining the nation requires at least seven more Patriot systems to defend cities and infrastructure against Russian missile attacks.

While Greece has offered Ukraine different types of military equipment, such as rockets, explosives, and anti-tank missiles, it insists that its air defense equipment is critical to national security, particularly in light of regional tensions with neighboring Turkey.

As the war in Ukraine continues, the argument for the distribution of advanced air defense systems among NATO allies is a contentious issue, weighing the short-term needs of Ukraine against the strategic defense needs of member states.

Read more at questeuro.com

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