We Give What We Can: Greek Defense Minister on Aid to Ukraine

Greece will not send Leopard 2A6 tanks to Ukraine. This was stated by the Greek Minister of National Defense, Nikos Panagiotopoulos, during a session of the National Defense and Foreign Relations Committee of the Parliament on Wednesday.

The minister confirmed that the Ukrainian Minister of Defense, Oleksii Reznikov, will arrive in Athens on Thursday. In response to a question about tanks, Panagiotopoulos said, “Greece will not send Leopard 2A6 tanks to Ukraine. The country has sent several armored vehicles and will send a few more. Greece has sent ammunition of various calibers.”

“If we have surplus capabilities, we will assist,” the minister added, stating that Greece “supports the fight against any revisionism.”

“Tomorrow, the Ukrainian Minister of Defense will be here,” Panagiotopoulos said, “I believe there will be many discussions, many speculations, and many analyses about what he is coming to request, and that we would give aircraft, we would give S-300s, we would give something else, discussions will swirl uncontrollably. Our position has been clear and unequivocal from the very beginning: we give what we can give; we do not give anything that could weaken our own defense capability, taking into account the challenges posed to our national security. If bilateral relations with Turkey improve, nevertheless, our plans in this regard are recorded and do not change; based on this, we are ready to help where and how we can, but only up to this point.”

“The day before yesterday, I had the opportunity to reiterate these clear conditions in front of a U.S. Senate delegation, which visits our country very frequently,” Panagiotopoulos stated.