Speaking at the Fourth Ukraine–Southeast Europe Summit held in Odesa, Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis reiterated Greece’s unwavering support for Ukraine. "Let me again express my country’s solidarity to the Ukrainian people who these days are again suffering from massive Russian missile drone attacks against civilian targets," he said.

“These attacks, and I think we need to repeat it at every instance, they blatantly violate international humanitarian law. From the very beginning we’ve made it very clear that you have an inherent right to defend yourself against Russian aggression.”

Mitsotakis affirmed that Greece’s backing for Ukraine – diplomatic, political, economic, military, and humanitarian – remains unchanged.

“Whatever we can do to work towards the end to this destruction and the suffering of your country,” he said, adding that it is ultimately up to the Ukrainian people to decide whether to accept or reject any peace proposal.

“And I think you have demonstrated very clearly that your intentions are genuinely genuine, unlike those of the other side,” he added.

A call for ceasefire

He described Odesa as “a symbolic city of the resistance of the Ukrainian people who are fighting for their freedom” and stressed the importance of working towards an immediate, unconditional ceasefire as a first step toward a just and lasting peace.

“We will continue to put more pressure on Russia, support additional sanctions packages, and of course make the point, as was made by my colleagues, that this war is not just about Russia and Ukraine. It is about the rules-based international order. It is about not rewarding the aggressor by accepting an arrangement that essentially vindicates these aggressive behaviours.”

Regional connectivity

Looking ahead, Mitsotakis also spoke about Odesa’s potential role in future reconstruction and regional connectivity. He outlined a vision for the city as one end of a wider infrastructure project starting from the Greek port of Alexandroupoli, passing through Varna and Constanța, and ultimately reaching Odesa.

“This is a project that could be proposed for EU funding. It would include transport, rail, electricity, gas, pipelines. And it would be a project that would provide an additional connectivity corridor for Ukraine, much faster one than transporting your goods by sea. And would also send a clear and tangible vision of how your integration with the European Union could make a real difference for the people in Ukraine,” Mitsotakis said.

Backing the Balkans on the path to Europe

Finally, addressing the leaders of the Western Balkan countries present at the summit, he reaffirmed Greece’s continued commitment to being one of the strongest and most consistent supporters of EU enlargement and European integration.

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