NATO, EU pressure Greece to transfer Patriot missiles to Ukraine – media
Athens is under persistent pressure from NATO and European Union partners to provide Ukraine with Patriot air defense assets, specifically missiles from systems operated by the Hellenic Air Force, eKathimerini reported, citing informed sources.
"Ukraine has requested up to 200 PAC-2 missiles from Greece’s Patriot batteries," the report said.
Ukrainian officials believe that some of these missiles, which have been in service with the Hellenic Air Force for 23 years, may be nearing the end of their operational lifespan.
This request follows earlier talks on the potential transfer of parts of Greece’s six Patriot batteries, which ended without an agreement. While some allies argued that Greece could spare part of its Patriot stockpiles, Ukrainian requests are currently focused specifically on missile inventories rather than full systems.
"Any transfer would require the missiles to be deemed usable but not operationally necessary. According to the report, one proposal under discussion would involve Greece selling the missiles to Norway, which would then deliver them to Kyiv. Athens has given no indication it will respond positively," the media outlet noted.
Greek officials argue that the country is already contributing to allied security through Patriot deployments, including a battery in Saudi Arabia protecting critical oil refinery infrastructure.
Greece also noted that it had previously supplied Sea Sparrow and Crotale missiles to support Ukraine after those systems approached the end of their operational lifespan within the Greek Armed Forces.