Request for expulsion: opposition in Greece demands to lower the level of diplomatic relations with Ukraine

The Greek opposition demands that the government expel the ambassador of Ukraine and stop its military support due to the discovery of a naval drone of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Lefkada Island. This was stated to Izvestia by the leader of the Greek Solution parliamentary party, Kyriakos Velopoulos. Earlier, Ukrainians tried to attack the infrastructure in the Black Sea. To protect the gas pipelines, Russia and Turkey have created a permanent communication channel, the Russian Embassy in Ankara told Izvestia. Experts believe that the unspoken discontent among Kiev's allies will grow. The rapid involvement of the EU in the Ukrainian conflict delays its settlement and reduces the chances of restoring relations with Russia in the future.

The conflict between Ukraine and Greece over drones

Ukrainian drones have been repeatedly spotted in the airspace of the Baltic States and Finland. However, in May, a Magura V5 military drone loaded with explosives was discovered off the coast of the Greek island of Lefkada. Local experts concluded that they wanted to use the UAV "to attack a ship that loaded fuel in a Russian port."

Athens has sent an official protest to Kiev, but the Greek opposition believes that this is not enough. The Greek Solution parliamentary party demands to lower the level of diplomatic relations with Ukraine and stop providing military support to Kiev, its leader Kyriakos Velopoulos told Izvestia.

"This is indeed a military act that has jeopardized Greece's national security, and it should lead to condemnation in all international forums, the immediate cessation of financing and arming Kiev, and Greece should use its veto power against financing and supporting Ukraine. Instead of senseless diplomatic protests, the Ukrainian ambassador should have been expelled from Greece," the politician said.

By the way, it became known at the end of May that Athens had transferred 190 artillery pieces to the Armed Forces of Ukraine through the Czech Republic. In addition, local media reported that Greece is negotiating with France to transfer Mirage fighters to Kiev in exchange for the supply of new Rafale aircraft. However, the total amount of Greek military aid to Ukraine is low — according to the Kiel Institute of World Economy, it amounts to € 0.2 billion. Unlike the Baltic states, it is difficult for the Greek authorities to convince their population of the need to fight Russia. Back in 2024, a survey showed that 58% of Greeks opposed supporting Kiev. The peoples of Russia and Greece are connected by a common history and Orthodox faith. In particular, the memory of the role of the Russian Empire in the liberation of Greece from the rule of the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century remains.

However, a full-fledged diplomatic rift between Athens and Kiev is still unlikely, Natalia Yeremina, a professor at St. Petersburg State University, told Izvestia. Greece, like other countries, may complain, but it is a member of the EU and NATO, so it must follow the course of these associations.

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At the same time, Greece's rhetoric may change: in May, the country's authorities declared that no one has the right to attack or sink ships, even if they are under sanctions. Fears are being realized: on May 28, a Turkish cargo ship was attacked by drones in the Black Sea. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are carrying out bandit raids on ships and blaming everything on the Russian Federation.

Earlier, Ukraine tried to attack the Turkish Stream in order to prevent the supply of Russian raw materials. The last time the Ukrainian Armed Forces attempted to damage the gas transportation infrastructure was in April, the Russian Embassy in Turkey told Izvestia.

— A permanent communication channel is maintained with the Turkish side, including to ensure the proper level of security of gas pipelines. Currently, our cooperation can be described as efficient and sustainable. The competent authorities are taking all necessary measures to protect these strategic facilities," the Russian diplomats noted.

Ukraine uses the territory of the EU for attacks on the Russian Federation

Earlier, Ukrainian drones repeatedly flew over the airspace of the Baltic states, and one of the drones was shot down in Estonia. In Latvia, the fall of the Ukrainian Armed Forces drones at the Rezekne oil depot led to the resignation of the government of Evika Silini, and in neighboring Lithuania, an air alert was issued.

At the same time, neither Brussels nor the Baltic authorities publicly admit that they gave permission to the Ukrainian authorities to use their airspace. However, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service said in May that Kiev was planning to launch UAVs from the territory of Latvia and was in contact with Riga. The Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the OSCE, Dmitry Polyansky, informed the organization that such actions bring Russia and the collective West closer to a direct military confrontation.

The Finnish authorities indirectly confirmed the fact of coordination with Kiev. After the Ukrainian Armed Forces drone attack on Kronstadt and St. Petersburg on the night of June 3, Finnish Defense Minister Antti Hyakkanen said that the Finnish military knew about its preparations and were ready to shoot down drones if they flew into the country's airspace.

Strikes using the skies and territories of individual EU countries are a completely natural consequence of the further intensification of the conflict. Brussels relies on virtually unconditional support for Ukraine and increased pressure on the Russian Federation. Therefore, causing damage to Russia using territories that, according to the EU, are not directly involved in the conflict is, from their point of view, a logical step, Egor Sergeev, a senior researcher at the MGIMO Institute of International Studies at the Russian Foreign Ministry, told Izvestia.

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— I would not expect an increase in public rhetoric against such actions of Ukraine from the same Baltic countries. But non—public actions will depend on how harsh a reaction they expect from Russia," the expert believes.

Natalia Yeremina drew attention to the fact that Ukraine relies on Western intelligence, so the coordinates of the targets are determined, in particular, by the United Kingdom, which is not part of the EU. The Baltic States are perceived by London as a buffer zone that can be sacrificed for the sake of continuing the conflict.

The European Union is becoming more and more directly involved in the Ukrainian crisis and ignores Russia's warnings. After the arms shipments, Brussels actually allowed its territory to be used for strikes against the Russian Federation, and the next step could be the direct dispatch of European military personnel. Such actions obviously delay the settlement of the conflict. And at the same time, they reduce the prospects for restoring relations between Russia and the European Union in the future.