Greece says will not send any more weapons to Ukraine amid Moscow-Kyiv war

As the Russia-Ukraine war continues to escalate in the seventh week, the Greek government has confirmed that Athens is not going to send any more military equipment to Ukraine. According to Russian news agency TASS, Greek government spokesperson Ioannis Oikonomou confirmed at a briefing on Friday that Greece would halt its shipments of weapons to war-torn Ukraine. However, the official did not mention whether Greece had previously sent Stinger man-portable air defence systems to Kyiv. 

The Greek cabinet spokesperson was asked if the government had plans to send any more additional military equipment to Ukraine, to which he replied saying, “There is nothing new in this direction from what has been done so far. Nothing like that is being discussed," Oikonomou said. He noted that the defence equipment Athens has previously sent to Ukraine does not weaken Greece's own defence capabilities. 

Further, when Oikonomou was asked to clarify if Greece had previously sent Stinger man-portable air defence systems to Ukraine taken from active units of the Greek army, he said: "It is known what defence equipment was sent along with humanitarian aid to Ukraine. Nothing that has been sent weakens the needs and defence capabilities of our country."

Oikonomou’s remarks regarding military equipment sent to Ukraine came after, in late February, the Greek Ministry of National Defense stated that the country had sent humanitarian aid and military equipment to Poland for use in Ukraine on C-130 military transport planes. Additionally, Greek TV channel Open had also reported at the time that around 20,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles, which were confiscated in November 2013 on a ship near the Greek island of Rhodes, were also sent to Ukraine.

As per TASS, Greek National Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos on April 13 had told Greek lawmakers that the country no longer plans to send military equipment to Ukraine. According to the minister, the Greek defence should not be weakened due to sending new weapons to Ukraine. Countries across Europe and the United States ramped up deliveries of aid and military equipment in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine war which started on February 24. Most recently, the United States refuted threats by Russia over weapons delivery to Ukraine. 

Russia threatens against delivery of weapons to Ukraine by US

Meanwhile, Russia officially issued a warning to the US and all its other allied nations against supplying weapons to Ukraine. Russia’s warning against the West came in a formal diplomatic note from Moscow, a copy of which was reviewed by several media outlets in the US. 

The two-page-long diplomatic note, which was forwarded to the US State Department by the Russian Embassy in Washington, warned that American and NATO weapons shipments are “adding fuel” to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. It also said that deliveries of arms could lead to what Russian diplomats refer to as “unpredictable consequences”. 

But, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that “nothing will dissuade” United States President Joe Biden’s administration from unwavering support for Ukraine. When asked about the impact of a diplomatic cable from Russia warning the US not to continue arming Ukraine, Price told CNN that Russians have conveyed some things in the private and in public but “nothing” will deviate the US from the chosen “strategy” amid Russia-Ukraine war.

“The Russians have said some things privately, they have said some things publicly; nothing will dissuade us from the strategy that we've embarked on,” Price said while noting that he is “not in a position to confirm any private diplomatic correspondence.”

(Image: AP)