Greece will do everything possible to support Ukraine but will not take steps that compromise its own national defense capabilities, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in Brussels on Friday, Oct. 16.
Speaking to Radio Liberty on the sidelines of the European Council summit, Mitsotakis addressed questions regarding whether Athens would transfer Patriot surface-to-air interceptor missiles from its military stockpiles to Kyiv.
JOIN US ON TELEGRAM
Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.
Mitsotakis declined to comment publicly on whether the Ukrainian government had submitted a formal request for the systems, while emphasizing Greece’s security priorities in the Eastern Mediterranean.
“You know that we have supported Ukraine by providing significant air defense assets from our stockpiles,” Mitsotakis told reporters.
“At the same time, I want to be completely candid: we will do everything possible to support Ukraine without undermining Greece’s defense capabilities. We are also in a security-sensitive region, we have other obligations, but we stand by Ukraine and always try to do everything possible.”
While Greece has previously transferred shorter-range air defense systems to Ukrainian forces, Athens has not officially announced or authorized deliveries of long-range Patriot interceptors.
According to Greek newspaper Kathimerini, Kyiv approached Athens with a request to acquire up to 200 Patriot PAC-2 missiles.
Other Topics of Interest
General Staff Reports 222 Clashes on Wednesday as Russia Continues Pressing Pokrovsk Axis
According to The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), Russia used 5,221 kamikaze drones and dropped 190 guided aerial bombs (KABs).
Ukrainian defense planners noted that after 23 years of operational service in the Hellenic Air Force, portions of the Greek PAC-2 stockpile are nearing the end of their certified operational shelf life.
Allied pressure on aging Southern European stockpiles
The statements by the Greek head of government follow coordinated diplomatic efforts by NATO and EU defense officials to persuade Greece and Spain to transfer aging surface-to-air missiles to Ukraine.
Athens and Madrid maintain some of Europe’s largest national inventories of Patriot PAC-2 interceptors, systems that Ukrainian defense planners require to defend urban population centers and electrical grid infrastructure from Russian ballistic and cruise missile strikes.
Military data cited by The Telegraph indicates that Greece holds at least 200 Patriot PAC-2 missiles whose certified 23-year lifespan is approaching expiration.
Allied defense coordinators have argued that transferring aging munitions before they exceed statutory operational limits represents a practical arrangement, noting that expired missiles require expensive, logistically complex factory recertifications.
“We know that some countries have interceptor missiles that will expire soon,” EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas stated during multilateral consultations in Ireland last month. “So it would be very good if they were transferred to Ukraine.”
While Spanish military stockpile figures remain classified, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares confirmed last month that Madrid agreed to deliver five Patriot interceptors to Kyiv.
Zelensky appeals for 300 Patriot interceptors ahead of winter
The Greek position comes as President Volodymyr Zelensky delivered an urgent appeal to EU heads of state in Brussels on Friday, Oct. 16, calling for 300 Patriot interceptors alongside €70 billion ($79 billion) in financial assistance for the upcoming year.
Addressing the European Council summit, Zelensky warned that Ukrainian forces have depleted critical stockpiles of surface-to-air interceptors capable of neutralizing Russian ballistic missiles, leaving civilian energy networks vulnerable as winter temperatures approach.
“I ask you to really focus on helping us get PAC-2 and PAC-3 interceptors,” Zelensky said in his address to EU leaders. “Ukraine can’t get by on just two or four missiles from a country every few months. We need a winter package – we always spoke about it between us – of missiles: 300 Patriot interceptors specifically against ballistic missiles.”
Ukrainian officials have emphasized that defending regional electrical generation and distribution nodes against combined ballistic missile and turbojet drone strikes requires steady munition supplies, warning that piecemeal transfers remain insufficient to ensure persistent airspace defense.
Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 90% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.