Russia Slams Greece’s Joint Naval Drone Deal With Ukraine, Threatens “Appropriate Response”
Russia accused Greece on Thursday of pursuing a “provocative, confrontational course” against the Russian Federation and warned of an “appropriate response” after Greece and Ukraine announced an agreement to jointly produce advanced naval drones.
The hostile statement, delivered by Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, came in reaction to major announcements made during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Athens earlier this week. The deal specifically concerns the co-production and deployment of Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs), or naval drones, with a production line expected to be established in a Greek shipyard, such as the Skaramagas Shipyards.
Russia’s accusation against Greece
Zakharova argued that the joint drone production deal was part of a larger pattern of “openly unfriendly steps” and “anti-Russian actions by the collective Western world aimed at defeating Russia on the battlefield.”
She cited two key points to justify Moscow’s anger, saying that Athens was “among the first to send weapons and ammunition to Ukraine.” She asserted that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are using these weapons daily against civilians in Russian-claimed regions such as Donbass, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Crimea.
Zakharova specifically noted that this military cooperation occurs even though Greeks have lived in these regions since time immemorial, framing Greece’s support for Ukraine as a betrayal of shared history.
Greece rejects threats
For Greece, the cooperation offers strategic benefits, including access to drone technology that is already battle-tested against the Russian Black Sea Fleet, technological acceleration, and the ability to close a defense capabilities gap with Turkey, which has been developing its own USV fleet.
Greece’s Foreign Ministry quickly responded to Zakharova’s threats later that same day, firmly rejecting Moscow’s intimidation. “Greece always acts in its international relations with a commitment to international law and respect for other states,” diplomatic sources stated.
Greek officials maintained that every sovereign state has the right to conclude interstate agreements, particularly when those agreements, such as the one with Ukraine, “guarantee energy sufficiency and security.”
The statement concluded with an unambiguous rejection of the Russian warning: “Threats against sovereign states are automatically rejected.”
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