The need for a ceasefire in Ukraine the soonest possible was underlined by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in statements following the international summit meeting on Ukraine on Thursday.

The Greek PM noted that "Ukraine has agreed to a 30-day ceasefire which unfortunately Russia has not agreed to yet," and said that pressure should be exerted on Russia to end its attacks of Ukraine, especially of critical infrastructure, in order for Ukraine to negotiate a just and viable peace.

He also mentioned that the leaders in Paris dicussed the issue of security guarantees which some other countries may possibly be interested in providing. The Greek leader underlined however that it is common knowledge that the strongest security guarantee that could be provided would be "the strengthening of the Armed Forces of Ukraine itself."

PM Mitsotakis underlined also that Greece is not among the countries prepared to send soldiers, a discussion he considered possibly slightly divisive, he said, since the basic concern right now is how to end the war as quickly as possible.

Pay raises in military

The Greek premier also referred to the debate in the Greek Parliament this coming week on the country's new armaments program, stressing that the basic goal is "to include this discussion in the framework of great generalized geopolitical changes taking place currently." In this context, the government will present the new payscale and ranking system of the Armed Forces, he noted, while significant pay raises have been decided, funded from the savings after the National Defense Ministry's restructure. "It is not enough to buy the latest armaments, but we must ensure that the Armed Forces officers are compensated properly so that we may attract young people to their ranks," Mitsotakis asserted.