Pressure Mounts on Greece and Spain to Supply Ukraine with Air Defense Systems

Greece and Spain Face Pressure to Provide Air Defence Systems to Ukraine

As the conflict in Ukraine intensifies, Greece and Spain are facing mounting pressure from their EU and Nato allies to provide additional air defence systems to support Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression. At a meeting of EU foreign and defence ministers on Monday, Kyiv urgently requested seven additional air defence systems, such as US-made Patriots or Soviet-developed S-300s, to combat Russia’s air and missile campaign targeting Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized the importance of functional air defence systems, stating, “Patriots can only be called air defence systems if they work and save lives rather than standing immobile somewhere in storage bases.” Despite Germany’s announcement of sending one Patriot system, pressure is now on Spain and Greece, who possess a significant number of air defence systems, to donate some to Ukraine.

During a summit in Brussels last week, EU leaders personally urged Spanish and Greek prime ministers to consider donating their systems to Ukraine, highlighting the urgent need faced by Kyiv. The pressure continued at a meeting of EU member states on Monday, where Ukraine’s foreign affairs and defence ministers participated via videoconference.

While Greece and Spain have not commented on the requests, Spain’s foreign minister acknowledged Ukraine’s need for anti-aircraft defences and expressed willingness to help. The EU is urging all member states to contribute to increasing Ukraine’s air defence capacity, with a focus on countries like Greece and Spain, which have surplus systems.

Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg hinted at new pledges of air defence supplies soon, following an audit of member states’ capabilities. The international community is rallying to support Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression, with a focus on bolstering air defence capabilities to protect Ukrainian cities and civilians.