Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis raised concerns directly with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday over a Ukrainian maritime drone that recently washed ashore near the Greek island of Lefkada, highlighting growing unease in Athens about the spillover risks of a war being fought more than 1,000 miles away.
The issue surfaced during a meeting between the two leaders ahead of a European Council summit in Brussels, where they discussed the latest developments in Russia's war against Ukraine.
While reiterating Greece's support for Ukraine's defense against Russian aggression, Mr. Mitsotakis emphasized that military operations should not extend beyond the active conflict zone, according to the Greek government.
The discussion comes after a rare diplomatic dispute between two countries that have largely maintained close relations since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Earlier this month, Greek authorities lodged a formal protest with Kyiv after an armed Ukrainian sea drone was discovered in waters near Lefkada, an island on Greece's western coast. Greek officials said the unmanned vessel posed a serious threat to maritime traffic and could have caused civilian casualties or environmental damage had it detonated or collided with commercial shipping.
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Athens argued that the appearance of a weaponized drone in the Mediterranean represented an unacceptable extension of military operations far beyond the Black Sea theater, raising concerns about regional security and economic stability.
"The right to self-defense cannot justify actions of this nature," Greece said in its diplomatic démarche to Ukraine, urging Kyiv to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
The Ukrainian government subsequently issued a formal apology. In a statement, Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi expressed regret over the incident and said it resulted from circumstances created by Russia's continuing military campaign against Ukraine.
Kyiv thanked Greece for its support throughout the war and stressed its commitment to international law and maritime security. Ukrainian officials said they were interested in preventing similar occurrences and argued that the incident underscored how Russia's invasion creates security risks extending beyond Ukraine's borders.
Despite the disagreement, both governments signaled a desire to preserve close ties. During Thursday's meeting, Mr. Mitsotakis and Mr. Zelensky also discussed prospects for deeper defense cooperation, reflecting Greece's continued political support for Ukraine even as Athens seeks stronger guarantees that the conflict will not encroach on its own security interests.
