Greece turns down Ukrainian request to for missiles defence system

Greece has turned down an informal request by Ukraine to send its aging, Soviet-era TOR-Μ1 and Osa-AK missile systems as the country believes they could still be needed by its Armed Forces, the media reported on Thursday. The rejection comes a day after the Chief of Greek General Staff Konstantinos Floros rules out “any possibility to grant or dispose of weaponry that weakens the defence of the country.”

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After the initial transfer of AK-47 Kalashnikovs and rocket launchers to Ukraine, Greece now follows the wider EU line, which is focusing on a diplomatic solution for the ongoing Russian war on Ukraine, according to Kathimerini.

The Russia-Ukraine war, which started on Feb. 24, has drawn international condemnation, led to financial restrictions on Moscow and spurred an exodus of global firms from Russia. At least 780 civilians have been killed and 1,252 injured in Ukraine since the beginning of the war, according to the UN, which noted conditions on the ground make it difficult to verify the true number. Slovakia's defence minister who was also asked to provide the S-300 on Thursday said the country would "immediately" provide its S-300 air defence system to Ukraine if it's guaranteed a "proper replacement" in the near term. The S-300 surface-to-air missile system is a Soviet-era defence system possessed by NATO allies Slovakia, Greece and Bulgaria that could help against Russian airstrikes in Ukraine, of which there have been more than 1,000 since the attack began on Feb. 24.