Greece’s increased support of Ukraine has come at the expense of its relations with Russia, according to an article by AlJazeera.
Athens-based institute, Dianeosis, revealed that approximately 70 percent of Greeks had a favourable perspective of Russia prior to the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. This event caused a drastic drop to 50 percent following 2022, and further to 30 percent last year.
Since the invasion, Greece has sent to Ukraine 20,000 155mm artillery shells, Stinger missiles and 40 Soviet-era BMP-1 armoured personnel carriers.
Four colossal transformers that convert high-voltage DC current produced by power stations to the lower AC voltage are also being prepared to be sent over to Ukraine. These transformers are used on local distribution grids that supply households.
In response, Russia have appealed to its shared Orthodoxy with Greece and its assistance to the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire in 1821. Greece remains firm however, as they equated their ‘belligerent’ behaviour during the invasion to their neighbour Turkey.
According to Aljazeera, Greece and Ukraine are currently negotiating a 10-year assistance agreement similar to those signed by accompanying NATO members.
A diplomatic source cited “Greece wants an agreement… based on military budget surpluses – materials you have to sell or destroy before their use-by date… we do not want a separate Ukraine budget line.”
Source: Aljazeera
