Greece and Spain will refuse to send air defense systems according to Politico – What Kyriakos Mitsotakis said

Madrid will not redeploy one of its three Patriots to Ukraine, Spanish news agency El País reports, instead pledging to send only missiles that can be used in existing versions of the surface-to-air system.

While the extra firepower would be welcome, Ukrainian President Zelensky said his country is far short of having at least seven high-quality arrays of missile-launching air defense systems needed to protect cities and critical infrastructure from Russian attacks.

The allies had hoped Spain could be one of the donors as Kiev tries to fend off a full-scale invasion by Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Meanwhile, Athens is also refusing to promise a system, given its security concerns with Turkey.

“Greece is not going to send S-300 or Patriot to Ukraine,” Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said during an interview on Thursday night, according to Reuters.

In recent days, Greek media had reported that a swap deal might be possible, whereby the United States would agree to replace either a Patriot system based in Athens or an inactive Soviet-era S-300 system stationed in island of Crete so that they can be transported to Ukraine.

“Greece is not going to send Ukraine either S-300 or Patriot. We were asked and explained why we can’t do it. Let me explain it in a little more detail: Greece has supported Ukraine in various ways, with defense material. But we have said from the first moment that we cannot dispose of weapons systems which are critical to our deterrent capability. We have surplus material with which we can support Ukraine, we have done so and I think it is the right choice. And, to the extent that we can find such material, we will continue to do so. However, the air defense systems you mentioned are critical systems for the protection of Greek airspace and will not be granted to Ukraine.”

Revelation: Minister stole perfume from duty free- He said he was…confused

Easter 2024: Lamb or Goat? – Which is the best;

Henry Dunant: 100-year-old woman undergoes heart surgery – “She’s an inspiration to us”

Separation “bomb” in showbiz! See who the couple is