Russian ambassador to Greece calls transfer of Russian air defense systems to Ukraine impossible

Greece has no right to supply Russian air defense systems to Ukraine without the written consent of the Russian Federation. Russian ambassador to Greece Andrei Maslov said this in an interview with the Greek TV channel militaire.gr on December 31.

"According to them (the agreements. - Ed.) the transfer of these weapons is impossible without the written consent of the Russian side. This is not a political, but an international legal obligation of Greece, which must be observed," he explained.

Maslov recalled the 1995 agreement between Moscow and Athens on military-technical cooperation and the 2013 agreement on the supply of military products, according to which Greece does not have the right to transfer Russian weapons systems to Kiev.

Maslov added that there would not be any diplomatic measures from the Russian side for the time being, as Greece's plans to transfer the systems to Ukraine sounded only in the form of rumors in the Greek media.

According to the interviewer, Greece has been strengthening its defense thanks to Russian weapons systems for many years, and now they allegedly have maintenance problems. Thus, in his opinion, the appearance of any malfunctions is necessary so that Athens can justify the possible shipment of Russian systems to Ukraine.

Maslov, for his part, noted that Greece had not informed Russia about the alleged problems with the maintenance of Russian weapons samples.

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Earlier, on April 23, a representative of the Greek Cabinet of Ministers, Pavlos Marinakis, said that the authorities were not ready to transfer air defense systems, including Patriot surface-to-air missile systems, to Ukraine, as the country needed it to ensure its own air security.

The day before, on December 30, Maslov said that Athens should be ready to "splurge" if the country refuses Russian gas. According to him, the Greek government has constantly publicly stated its intention to give up Russian gas, but he is not sure how feasible this is.