Greece is preparing to send ammunition to Ukraine via the Czech Republic, for recycling, not for free, it comes for money

Greece is preparing to send a large quantity of ammunition worth 150 million euros to Ukraine via the Czech Republic and is seeking approval from the relevant parliamentary committee, Gree knews portal  reported.

"They are emptying ammunition depots in order to transport them to Ukraine. The ammunition in question is in the warehouses of the Greek army and is classified by the Greek armed forces as "not operational and not in use" and will be sold to the Czech Republic for 150 million euros. As if the Czech Republic is in a state of war," the portal writes.

"According to military officials, among the ammunition that will be sold are those that are still used in exercises. In essence, they are emptying the warehouses of the Greek army for the sake of Zelensky," the report says.

 The Kathimerini newspaper reported in mid-March that Greece was preparing to supply Ukraine with a new large shipment of weapons through the Czech Republic, including 2 thousand five-inch Zuni missiles, 180 anti-tank missiles, 90 thousand 90-mm shells used in anti-tank warfare and anti-aircraft weapons , as well as 70 M114A1 self-propelled howitzers. The weapons will be purchased by the Czech Republic and sent directly to Ukraine. Czech and Greek officials are negotiating prices for these systems, followed by the signing of a bilateral agreement, the newspaper reported. According to her, Athens notified EU officials responsible for coordinating assistance to Kyiv that they could supply weapons to Ukraine through the Czech Republic this year.

On February 20, Greek Minister of National Defense Nikos Dendias said at a meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on National Defense and Foreign Affairs that Greece does not supply ammunition to Ukraine for free, most of it comes for money.

At the end of January, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in a letter to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, proposed that Athens transfer or sell weapons to Kyiv on the condition that in exchange Washington would explore the possibility of providing Athens with up to $200 million in additional assistance.

Dendias said on January 30 that tens of millions of euros worth of “surplus ammunition” could be sold to Ukraine, which will expire in the foreseeable future and will have to be replaced.

Greece was one of the first in the West to send weapons and military equipment to Ukraine after the start of the Russian special military operation. Already on February 27, 2022, it sent 40 tons of equipment through Poland on two C-130 aircraft. After this, Greece sent new batches of weapons and military equipment. At the same time, Athens stated that it would not transfer to Kiev modernized Leopard 2A6 tanks and Russian-made S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems, as well as those weapons systems, the shipment of which “could weaken Greece’s defense capability even in the slightest degree.”

Russia believes that arms supplies to Ukraine interfere with the settlement, directly involve NATO countries in the conflict and are “playing with fire.” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that any cargo that contains weapons for Ukraine will become a legitimate target for Russia. According to him, the United States and NATO are directly involved in the conflict not only by supplying weapons, but also by training personnel in the UK, Germany, Italy and other countries. The Kremlin stated that pumping Ukraine up with weapons from the West does not contribute to negotiations and will have a negative effect.