Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, speaking on the sidelines of the first day of a two-day EU summit in Brussels on Thursday, reiterated that his government continues to support Ukraine in the face of the Russian invasion, while he also reminded of his recent visit to the Black Sea port city of Odessa, where he met with Volodymyr Zelensky.
It was in Odessa that a Russian missile attack struck at roughly 500 meters from where the Greek delegation was at the time.
Over the course of a two-day summit, EU leaders are set to discuss continued support for Ukraine, security and defense, as well as the unfolding situation in the Middle East, enlargement, external relations, migration, agriculture and the European Semester.
I spoke with @ZelenskyyUa ahead of today’s #EUCO discussions on Ukraine. Greece will continue to support Ukraine. My visit to Odessa impressed upon me even more the urgency of stepping up our assistance. I am glad to see Ukraine making steady progress towards EU membership.
— Prime Minister GR (@PrimeministerGR) March 21, 2024
Meanwhile, a separate post on X (formerly Twitter) by Zelensky, referring to the “implementation of our agreements”, generated speculation in Athens and an immediate reaction by the political opposition.
I spoke with Greek Prime Minister @KMitsotakis about the implementation of our agreements reached during his recent visit to Ukraine, as well as our ongoing defense cooperation, particularly in terms of strengthening our air defense.
On March 6th in Odesa, Prime Minister… pic.twitter.com/iWH5JHSmYM
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 21, 2024
Government sources back in the Greek capital on Thursday evening said no agreement was signed between Greece and Ukraine during Mitsotakis’ visit to Odessa.
The same sources merely noted that last July, the G7 adopted a joint declaration of support for the security of Ukraine, which the EU and its member states have joined.
“Following this declaration, the EU is discussing with Kyiv an EU-Ukraine security support agreement. Our country, like the other EU member states, is discussing bilaterally with Ukraine…The main objective of these discussions is to strengthen the resilience of Ukraine in all sectors, i.e. economy, reconstruction, energy, civil protection, humanitarian aid, protection of cultural heritage, internal reforms, cyber security etc.” was the unofficial statement out of Athens.
They added that discussions are part of the framework of multifaceted support for Ukraine and its accession process, with France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Denmark having agreed, while Finland, Sweden, Spain, Belgium, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Romania, Bulgaria and the Baltic countries are negotiating.
