The Minister of National Defence Mr. Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos met today, Thursday 6 April 2023, with the Minister of Defence of Ukraine Mr. Oleksii Reznikov, in the context of his official visit to Greece.

During their talks, both countries expressed their strong will to enhance and deepen their defence cooperation.

It was also underlined that Greece and Ukraine condemn all forms of revisionism and blatant violation of International Law.

The talks were also attended by the Deputy Minister of National Defence Mr. Nikolaos Hardalias, the Chief/HNDGS General Konstantinos Floros, the Chief/HAFGS Lieutenant General Themistoklis Bourolias, the Chief/HAGS Lieutenant General Aggelos Choudeloudis, the Chief/HNGS Vice Admiral Ioannis Drymoussis HN, the Ambassador of Ukraine to Athens Mr. Sergii Shutenko, the Deputy Minister of Ukraine Mr. Denys Sharapov, as well as large delegations from both sides.

After the talks and the private meeting of the two Ministers, statements were made to the Military Reporters and the Foreign Press Correspondents, at the Press Room of the Hellenic Ministry of National Defence:

NIKOLAOS PANAGIOTOPOULOS: “Mister Minister, dear Oleksii,

It is a great honor and pleasure to welcome you, today, in Greece, at the Ministry of National Defence.

During our meeting, we both expressed our strong will to work together to enhance our bilateral defence cooperation. I, also, reaffirmed our firm and principled position to support Ukraine and the Ukrainian Armed Forces in their inherent right to defend their homeland and restore the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of their country.

Greece, from the very start of the cruel and unprovoked war against Ukraine, condemned, unequivocally, the Russian aggression and stands, from day one, with Ukraine and Ukraine’s brave defenders.

We implemented all sanctions imposed on the aggressor, despite their cost to our economy.

The war against Ukraine is a clear violation of International Law, of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine. It has brought war again on Europe and a new threat to global peace and stability.

The images of Bucha and the hundreds of people killed in Mariupol, remind us our duty towards all the victims and their families, to ensure full accountability and continue our unwavering support to Ukraine and its people, who fight for their freedom and independence.

Our reaction to the Russian invasion, an open act of aggression, was swift and decisive, because we have a clear and firm position against any form of revisionism, whether it questions basic rules governing the international legal order, or is expressed as the pursuit of changing internationally recognized borders.

Today, I would like to reaffirm our solidarity to the Ukrainian people, who have suffered and still suffer, enormously, as a result of the aggression and pay tribute to the heroic Armed Forces of Ukraine who fight bravely and with self-sacrifice for victory.

Mr. Minister,

I welcome you to Greece and I am looking forward to strengthening our defence ties.

I would like to express our strong support to Ukraine and the Ukrainian people and reiterate that we will continue to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes.

Welcome!”

OLEKSII REZNIKOV: “I am happy to be here and have this great opportunity to meet with the Minister of National Defence of the Hellenic Republic and really a friend of mine, Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos, as we have met each other during the Ramstein Contact Group, became really good friends and it was my pleasure to host your delegation in Ukraine with H.E. Mme President. You were in this delegation and we had a very good communication, conversation, and meeting with my President in Mariyinsky Palace and it was my obligation to visit and thank you for your invitation.

I also would like to express my sincere gratitude to the people and the government of the Hellenic Republic for support and the systems provided to Ukraine defending our sovereignty and territorial integrity of our state within our internationally recognized borders.

The first package of your support we get probably after two or three days after the start of this full scale invasion. It was a humanitarian package that we needed for our people trying to survive during this aggressive war and all kind of support we needed: in weaponry, military, economical, humanitarian, political, etc. In addition, our refugees also have a home here, and tens of thousands Ukrainians, women with their children, with their grandsons and their granddaughters, are here. We want to thank your people and your country for your support to them.

As a permanent member of the Contact Group of Ramstein, the so called Ramstein Club, that consists of more than 54 countries, more than the NATO ally members – normally we know there are 30 countries but it became 31 and the next country will be Sweden, which is very symbolic, because it has the same national flag colours, yellow and blue –. So, after Sweden I’m sure that the next country in NATO will be Ukraine when we win this war and I know the strong position of my friend, Mr. Minister, that if we see the NATO Summit conclusion and strategy that was pointed in this summit for the next 30 years the main threat of NATO allies is Russia and their armed forces.

I know the position of my colleague, Mr. Minister, that Ukraine has very good experience on how to deter Russians, how to defeat them, using NATO standard weaponry. So it’s a good reason for Ukraine to be invited to NATO alliance and become a member of this club. During our meeting, we discussed the current situation on the battlefield and the Azov and Black Sea region, I described to my colleagues what is going on in the Bakhmut direction, in the Andiivka, Vuhledar, Maryinka and other directions I briefly reported how it is going on in preparation for the counteroffensive campaign, especially the training courses for our Army course and certainly how we will provide them with new weaponry from our partners IFVs, MBTs, artillery systems etc.

So certainly we discussed possible ways of establishing peace and restoring security in Europe, including the mechanism for strengthening sanctions against the aggressor and particularly the defence industry, as well. And also prospective areas of bilateral cooperation and existing specific projects.

We are really grateful for your support, for all the packages of all types that you provided to Ukraine, and I am sure that after we win this war we will continue our cooperation and bilateral platforms and especially in the demining process because you have a good experience, especially in the sea surface because the naval forces of your country are strong, very famous, and we are looking for this cooperation, we want to get your support, your experience, in developing our Ukrainian naval capacity starting from the demining process, because it’s a humanitarian need for Ukraine, and continue to establish the security regime in the Black and Azov Sea because it means freedom of navigation.

As you know Ukraine is one of the most important countries with food capacity for the African countries, East countries, and right now, during this war time, we have a green corridor for the grain deal (trade) under the UN flag so it means that we need to develop our capacity in the Black Sea and Azov Sea and I really think that in the future we will have support from your country. Thank you very much”.