Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Wednesday again conveyed Athens’ solidarity with the Ukrainian people, speaking at the 4th Ukraine-Southeast Europe Summit in Odessa, and held amid a latest stepped-up missile and drone attack by Russia against Ukrainian targets.
Mitsotakis arrived in the historic Black Sea port city at the invitation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“These attacks, and I believe this must be repeated at every opportunity, flagrantly violate international humanitarian law. We have made this clear from the beginning, that you have the inherent right to defend yourselves against Russian aggression,” Mitsotakis said, while reiterating that Greece will continue to support Ukraine, as it did from the very start, in every field.
“We will do everything we can do to work towards ending this destruction and the misery of your country,” Mitsotakis said, adding that it was up to the Ukrainians to decide whether to accept or reject any peace formula. And I think you have demonstrated very clearly that your intentions are really sincere, unlike those of the other side,” he said.
He further described Odessa as a symbol city of the resistance of the Ukrainian people, who are fighting for their freedom, while he noted that at this moment everyone should work for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire as a first step towards a just and sustainable peace.
“We will continue to put more pressure on Russia, to support additional sanctions packages and of course to point out, as my colleagues have done, that this war is not just about Russia and Ukraine. It is about the international order based on rules, about not rewarding the aggressor by accepting a settlement that effectively justifies these aggressive behaviors,” he said.
Finally, he briefly touched on the future and the importance of Odessa as a city that highlights future reconstruction and connectivity projects, and said he envisioned the city at one end of an ambitious comprehensive connectivity project that would start at the port of Alexandroupolis and go through Varna, Constanța and eventually reach Odessa.