West intensifies pressure on Greece to provide Ukraine with air defense systems

ATHENS

The West has intensified pressure on Greece to provide Ukraine with air defense systems, local media reported on Monday.

During a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contract Group last Friday in Germany, the US and Greece’s EU partners made it clear that Athens should send much-needed air defense systems, reported the daily Kathimerini.

The pressure by European partners is led by Germany, which believes Greece didn’t contribute enough to Euro-Atlantic solidarity in supporting Ukraine militarily, it added.

According to the daily, the latest request list by Ukraine from Greece includes short-to-medium range air defense systems, including Soviet-era SA-8, French-made Crotale and the US-made Hawk systems in addition to spare parts and missiles for F-16s. Ukraine expects to have these weapons by this summer.

Spain’s decision to withdraw its Patriot battery stationed in southeastern Türkiye for possibly transferring to Ukraine and the fact that Greece stationed a battery of Patriot in Saudi Arabia, a non-NATO country, are also used as tools to put more pressure on Athens, it maintained.

In recent months, various Greek news outlets reported that the US and EU supported Ukraine’s request for Russian-made S-300 air-defense systems, which Athens so far refused, saying they are crucial elements of the country’s air-defense network.

Last week, the British Financial Times daily claimed that Spain and Greece are under increasing pressure from their NATO allies to provide Ukraine with Patriot air defense systems.