A mutually significant agreement
The Greek-Ukraine security cooperation agreement that Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed Thursday is part of a matrix of bilateral agreements aimed at supporting Ukraine while NATO puts off the country’s accession to the alliance. Greece is the 21st European Union member to sign such an agreement with Ukraine, in the framework of EU and NATO decisions.
Prime Minister Mitsotakis’ office emphasized that “the agreement opens the way for Greece’s active participation in Ukraine’s reconstruction effort.” Zelenskyy, in his thanks, was more forthcoming. “With this agreement, the Hellenic Republic confirms its readiness to continue meeting Ukraine’s most urgent defense needs,” his official website said. “Together with its partners, Greece will provide additional resources to accelerate F-16 training for Ukrainian pilots and technicians.”
Although there have been many such agreements with other countries and organizations, yesterday’s signing is significant for both countries. It was signed on the sidelines of the EU summit in Brussels where Zelenskyy presented his “Victory Plan.” Its details were not revealed, but it is clear that the key request, for Ukraine’s accession to NATO, is not on the allies’ agenda at this time. A difficult winter looms ahead. Russian forces are making steady progress in eastern Ukraine, destroying energy infrastructure all the time, while western allies hesitate to allow Kyiv to use their weapons on Russian territory. If Donald Trump wins the election on November 5, things will become even more difficult, as the self-declared admirer of Vladimir Putin claims that he will end the war “in 24 hours.”
At this moment of uncertainty, the agreement with Greece underlines the fact that a country which stood with Ukraine from the start of the war is strengthening the bond between them. In addition to arms and technical assistance for Ukraine, Greece has developed into a crucial hub in NATO’s supply chain into central and eastern Europe.
The fact that the government finds itself under fire from “friends” of Putin and from “superpatriots” who express concern over Greece’s own defense capability shows that wherever self-interested sophistry blooms, even the need to support the victims of unprovoked invasion is not seen as self-evident. This makes yesterday’s agreement important for our country, too.
