West pressures Greece to supply air defense aid to Ukraine
Germany leads efforts to pressure European partners, citing Greece’s insufficient military support for Ukraine as a hindrance to Euro-Atlantic harmony
During a recent Ukraine Defense Contract Group meeting in Germany, U.S. and European Union partners urged Athens to provide essential air defense systems, as per a report by Greece’s newspaper Kathimerini.
Germany is spearheading the pressure among European partners, contending that Greece has not adequately supported Ukraine militarily, thus falling short in fostering Euro-Atlantic harmony, as noted in the report.
According to the daily, the latest list of demands by Ukraine from Greece includes short-to-medium range air defense systems, including Soviet-era SA-8, French-made Crotale, and U.S.-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 claimed.
In recent months, various Greek news outlets declared that the U.S. and EU supported Ukraine’s request for Russian-made S-300 air defense systems. Athens has so far rejected them, saying they are crucial elements of the country’s air defense network.
Last week, the British Financial Times daily alleged that Spain and Greece are under increasing pressure from their NATO allies to provide Ukraine with Patriot air defense systems.
Source: AA
