Mitsotakis – Zelensky: New Phone Call Before the Summit - "We Will Continue to Support Ukraine"

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis had a new phone conversation – the second in a span of 10 days – with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, shortly before the emergency summit on the Ukrainian issue.

I spoke with Prime Minister of Greece @kmitsotakis and inform him about the leaders’ summit in London.

We are working on a joint plan of action that will allow us to end the war as soon as possible, strengthen Ukraine, and develop specific security guarantees. We must move… pic.twitter.com/k5tPTefIiV

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 4, 2025

Two days after the meeting in London, where dozens of country leaders decided to propose a one-month ceasefire in Ukraine and potentially deploy a European military force to guarantee the implementation of any potential peace agreement, Mr. Mitsotakis and Mr. Zelensky, according to the Maximos Mansion briefing, discussed the latest developments in light of the March 6 summit.

Mr. Mitsotakis informed Mr. Zelensky about the positions with which Greece approaches the extraordinary summit and reiterated the EU's commitment to a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.

Additionally, the Prime Minister emphasized that this requires a significant strengthening of the defensive capabilities of the EU and Ukraine, as well as support from the United States. Mr. Mitsotakis also stated that Greece will continue to support Ukraine.

It is reminded that on Sunday, government sources highlighted that at the extraordinary summit, the Prime Minister will reiterate Greece's position that Europe must take greater responsibility for its defense, requiring bold measures such as fiscal flexibility for member states to enable significant defense investments, as well as joint European funding for programs of European interest, like the missile shield. Europe's position should be unified and singular.

800 Billion Euro Plan from von der Leyen
From her side, today the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced a plan to strengthen the European defense industry and Europe's military capabilities, amounting to up to 800 billion euros.

"This will allow member states to significantly increase their defense spending without triggering the excessive deficit procedure," she explained. The European Union proposes granting member states greater fiscal space for defense investments, with 150 billion euros available in loans for each member state for these investments, and the activation of private funds, the Commission President explained.

The plan for the "rearmament of Europe" will allow for the "immediate" provision of aid to Ukraine, said Ursula von der Leyen.