Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will be in Brussels for a two-day EU Summit organized by the Council of the EU on Thursday.
According to the official agenda, EU leaders will discuss continued support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s war of aggression, security and defense, the unfolding situation in the Middle East, enlargement, external relations, migration, agriculture and the European Semester.
Greece is a large player in the defense sector, as it is one of the EU and NATO member states with highest defense spending per capita.
PM Mitsotakis has already voiced his thoughts on the need for a common and more organized approach to EU defense procurement and for strengthening the European defense industry.
At the EU Summit the Greek Prime Minister will also set forth a discussion on how the EU common security and defense policy should be funded at a time when member states are required to invest in various fields.
In regards to the war in Ukraine, on which Greece holds an unwavering position of support, PM Mitsotakis will inform his counterparts of his recent visit to Odessa, his discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as the need for continued supply of aid to the country.
He has already emphasized the need for a joint approach to assisting Ukraine, through which EU member states will be compensated for supplying the country with EU defense material, as well as a framework for third-country support.
Regarding the recent developments in Gaza, the Greek PM is expected to reiterate Greece’s growing concern about the high civilian casualties and humanitarian crisis, to emphasize the importance of preventing further destabilization of the wider region, and to underline Greece’s readiness to assist in efforts to achieve regional stability.
