Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has pledged to provide military support for Ukraine and to assist with post-war reconstruction during talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Athens. Mitsotakis voiced his full support for Kyiv against Russia's invasion and condemned Russian war crimes, promising to stand by Ukraine for as long as necessary.

Greece, as a NATO member, has also committed to participating in the reconstruction efforts once the fighting ends. Zelenskyy expressed gratitude for Greece's support and revealed that Athens has agreed to train Ukrainian pilots to fly the F-16 warplanes provided by Denmark and the Netherlands.

In addition, Zelenskyy and Mitsotakis signed a joint declaration on Greece's support for Ukraine's NATO accession, pending the agreement of allies and fulfillment of conditions. Later in the day, Zelenskyy joined an informal dinner hosted by Mitsotakis for Balkan leaders, as well as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council head Charles Michel.

The dinner aimed to discuss the future of the Western Balkans within the European Union, with several countries already being members and others seeking to join. Greece has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine against the Russian invasion and has already provided military assistance in the form of armored personnel carriers and ammunition.

However, Greece has resisted pressure to supply Kyiv with a Russian-made air defense missile system stationed in Crete due to its own weapons procurement program and tensions with its NATO ally, Turkey. Earlier in the day, Zelenskyy visited Denmark, where he expressed appreciation for the country's assistance in resisting Russia's invasion.

Denmark and the Netherlands have pledged to provide F-16 warplanes to Ukraine, with delivery expected by the end of the year. The dinner in Athens was attended by the presidents of Serbia, Montenegro, and Moldova, the prime ministers of North Macedonia, Kosovo, Bulgaria, Croatia, and Romania, as well as the head of the council of ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Notably absent was Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, as relations between Greece and Albania have soured over the arrest of ethnic Greek minority leader Fredi Beleri on allegations of vote-buying. Despite being in pre-trial detention, Beleri was elected mayor of the Albanian town of Himara.

Greece has called for his release, asserting that his detention is politically motivated. Greek government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis justified Rama's absence, stating that it was not possible to invite him to such an important initiative due to the need for Albania to respect European rules and the rules of justice.