Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday on the sidelines of a Ukraine-SE Europe Summit being held in the historic Croatian city of Dubrovnik, where he reiterated Athens’ standing support for the latter’s country.
Both leaders touched on a draft agreement envisioning areas where Greece could support the embattled nation of Ukraine and the former’s participation in a reconstruction of the east European country. Additionally, Ukraine’s EU prospects were discussed.
Earlier, speaking at the summit, the Greek prime minister reminded the attendees that Athens hosted the inaugural summit in August 2023.
Turning directly to the ongoing conflict, began after a Russian invasion in February 2022, he said the war affects the entire world.
In conclusion, he said EU enlargement is now necessary given the geopolitical situation that has emerged on the continent, while at the same time sending a message to the western Balkan candidate-states, namely, that the European acquis and reforms must be implemented for membership.
NATO’s new leader pledged continued support for the beleaguered country in its fight against Russia’s invasion and vowed to put pressure on China to curtail its support of Moscow, whoever wins the U.S. presidential election.
The voice of support for Kyiv comes as it faces setbacks in both warfare and diplomacy, heading toward winter with much of the country’s energy infrastructure in ruins.
Mark Rutte , who took over from Jens Stoltenberg as secretary-general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on Tuesday, praised both U.S. presidential candidates for their commitment to defending Ukraine.