On December 22, Yury Pilipson - the second Director of the European Department under the Russian Foreign Ministry - revealed in an interview: Greece has officially joined the PURL program. This is Ukraine's Priority Requirements List initiative, allowing European countries to purchase weapons from the US to supply the country's armed forces.
The Russian diplomatic representative said that this decision marks a significant change in Greece's stance, because the country had previously shown some reluctance to participate in the above arms procurement mechanism.
Commenting on the information published by the Greek newspaper, Mr. Pilipson said that Greece has been under great pressure from the US and its partners in the NATO bloc. Russia believes that Greece's adherence to the initiative is the result of the strong influence of senior allies in the bloc, forcing the Greek government to adjust its policy to comply with common discipline.
Moscow also accused Kiev of repeatedly pressuring the Greek leadership to transfer highly efficient air defense systems produced by Russia and the Soviet Union, which were already in the country's military payroll, to Ukraine without reaching the defense capabilities of Greece itself.
The Russian Foreign Ministry representative also expressed concern about the impact of these weapons on civilians. He stressed that the Greece government is well aware that the aid weapons will be used in areas such as Donbass, Zaporozhye, Kherson and the Crimean peninsula. These are places where the Grecian community has long lived.
Mr. Pilipson considered this a manifestation of lack of autonomy in the security and defense decisions of EU member states under the pressure of maintaining the position of power of the West.
Although the Greek government has decided to provide stronger military assistance to Ukraine, Russian officials note that this view has not received the consensus of the majority of the people.
He cited a public opinion poll conducted by the Greek newspaper itself in July this year, which showed that 72% of respondents believed that Greece should remain neutral in the conflict in Ukraine rather than participate more deeply.
The PURL program was launched by US President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on July 14, replacing previous forms of free or subsidized arms assistance. The mechanism allows NATO countries in Europe and Canada to purchase US weapons through the NATO structure to meet Ukraine's battlefield needs.
