Greece Pledges Continued Support for Ukraine at Athens Summit

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Photo source: @PrimeMinisterGR.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis reiterated Greece’s support for Ukraine during a meeting in Athens on Monday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Mitsotakis stressed that Greece was opposed to all violations of international law and illegal occupation and added that the government would “continue to support the Alliance’s strong and effective political and material support for Ukraine aimed at ensuring the ability of Ukraine to effectively defend its territory on land, at sea and in the air,”.

“We condemn unequivocally the war crimes committed and they must be punished by international justice.”

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Photo source: @PrimeMinisterGR.

Zelensky, who is on his first official visit to Greece and the first after the war between Russia and Ukraine broke out, thanked Greece for its readiness to “help us support our freedom”.

Greece also pledged to continue providing military, technical, and defense support and humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

Declaration

Later on Monday, the leaders of 11 South Eastern Europe countries adopted a declaration in support of Ukraine during a summit in Athens, expressing their support for “Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, based on the values of democracy and the rule of law” in the face of Russian aggression”.

Family photo following the Athens Summit. Photo source: European Commission.

The leaders of Serbia, Moldova, Ukraine, Montenegro, Greece, Romania, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Bulgaria and Croatia signed the declaration in the presence of European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Mitsotakis also announced that he and Zelensky had signed a joint declaration on Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic integration. Among others, the Athens summit agreed to lift a Membership Action Plan requirement for Ukraine’s EU integration while allies confirmed that they would invite Ukraine to join NATO “when the conditions are met”.