Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Athens to meet with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, but the time of his arrival was not made public in the context of the “extreme secrecy” in which the trip takes place (despite the fact that the information was leaked to the media a day ago).
It was announced that at 18.20 Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived at the Megaro Maximu Palace. The Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, was waiting for him there, and the two leaders had a one-on-one meeting. Then Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Volodymyr Zelensky will make press statements. At 19:50 the President of Ukraine will meet with the President of the Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou.
В. Зеленский встретился с К. Мицотакисом» pic.twitter.com/GC2ID6gcqQ
— Athens News (@russianathens) August 21, 2023
It is not yet known why Mitsotakis decided to invite the Ukrainian president, who, according to Greek media, there are big problems with the counteroffensive. However, it was noted that such a move would further aggravate relations between Athens and Moscow. It is worth noting, of course, that the visit came about a week after a senior NATO official made statements about ceding Ukrainian territory to Russia in order to bring Kiev into the alliance, which, although later refuted, indicate that NATO had achieved limit in support of Ukraine.
In the evening, the President of Ukraine will take part in an informal dinner hosted by Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the Maximou Mansion, with the participation of the leaders of the Western Balkans, the countries of the region, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and the President of the European Council Charles Michel.
Dinner will include:
- Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic
- Moldovan President Maia Sandu
- President of Montenegro Yakov Milatovic
- Romanian Prime Minister Ion-Markel Ciolacu
- Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti
- President of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina Borjana Kristo
- Prime Minister of Skopje Dimitar Kovachevski
- Prime Minister of Bulgaria Nikolai Denkov
- Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic.
Zelensky made a statement about his meeting with Mitsotakis, which refers to “important negotiations.”
Next up is the visit to Greece. We have already arrived. A meeting with President Katerina @PresidencyGR Sakellaropoulou, substantive negotiations with PM Mitsotakis @KMitsotakis and the Greek delegation. The agenda is everything we can do together to protect human life and…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 21, 2023
“Next – a visit to Greece. We have already arrived. Meeting with President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, meaningful talks with Prime Minister Mitsotakis and the Greek delegation. On the agenda is what we can do together to protect human life and freedom in our common European home “Ukraine-Balkan Summit: joint meeting with Balkan leaders, coordination of European and Euro-Atlantic integration, defense cooperation, security. Also separate talks on bilateral issues. Meeting with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. Every day we strengthen our state, our soldiers and our collaboration with partners.
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