Dendias: Ukraine should apologize for the drone near Lefkada

Greek Minister of National Defense Nikos Dendias called the incident with the Ukrainian naval drone Lefkada “extremely dangerous” and stated that Ukraine must apologize to Athens.

Nikos Dendias spoke at the conference “National Action Plan in the Face of Global Uncertainty”organized “Circle of ideas” together with Delphi Economic Forum.

Speaking of what was found Lefkada maritime dronethe minister confirmed that we were talking about a Ukrainian device with explosives, but refused to disclose the details of the conclusion. This was reported SKAI And iefimerida.

According to Dendias, if such a drone were to collide with a cruise or passenger ship, the consequences could be tragic. He directly stated that Kyiv obliged to apologize. The formulation is rare in its rigidity: usually in such cases, Greek diplomacy wraps everything in three layers of cotton wool so that no one accidentally understands the meaning.

The Mediterranean should not become a war zone

Incident at Lefkada has already become serious diplomatic issue. Previously “Athens News” wrote about the discovery of a sea drone off the coast of the island, similar in appearance to a Ukrainian one MAGURA V5as well as about the position Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairswhich statedthat even sanctioned vessels cannot be considered a legitimate target for attack.

In this sense, Dendias’ statement reinforces Athens’ line: the war between Russia and Ukraine should not spread into Greek waters, to tourist routes, ferries, cruise ships and civilian shipping. Sanctions are one thing. A naval drone with explosives off a Greek island is something else entirely.

Dendias does not believe in “calm waters”

The Minister of Defense also spoke about relations with Turkey. He said he does not share the optimism surrounding the formula “calm waters” V Aegean Sea. According to him, the absence of new tension depends solely on behavior Ankarabecause Greece makes no claims.

Separately, Dendias touched upon the placement of systems Patriot on Karpathos. He stressed that this is not related to Turkey, but is part of the national operational plan in case of threats from Iran. According to him, this is about Greek planning, not a solution NATO or element of the Greco-Turkish balance.

Editorial comment

Statement Dendiasa important not only because it demanded an apology from Ukraine. It is important that the Minister of Defense actually admitted: the incident Lefkada could have ended in disaster for civil shipping.

If a military naval drone with explosives ends up near the Greek islands, this is no longer an abstract war somewhere far away. This is a threat to Greek shipping routes, tourism, ferries and cruise ships. And here, allied solidarity cannot mean silence.

Greece has every right to demand an explanation and an apology. Not because Athens is changing its position on Ukraine, but because someone else’s war should not come to Greek shores in the form of an explosive drone.

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