Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Greece had a keen interest in what is happening in the region of Ukraine, as many expatriates live there, after the informal meeting of European leaders on the Ukrainian crisis held in Brussels before the start of the EU-Africa Summit.

“We reaffirm our absolute unity, our support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity, and our determination to respond in a coordinated manner and in consultation with our Euro-Atlantic allies in the event of a Russian invasion of Ukraine,” he said.

“At the same time, however, we reaffirmed our commitment to dialogue and the need to keep all channels of communication with Russia open. Besides, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias will be in Russia tomorrow for talks with his Russian counterpart and will reiterate the country’s positions, which are also the positions of all EU member states.”

“Greece is very interested in the developments in the region, as as you know, tens of thousands of people of Greek origin live in Ukraine,” said Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

The informal European Council expressed its strong and united support for Ukraine, its sovereignty, and territorial integrity.

The leaders of the Member States endorsed the December European Council’s position that Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine would have serious and extensive consequences.

If necessary, the EU is prepared to swiftly step up sanctions against Russia. The European Union has imposed various sanctions against Russia since 2014 when Russia appropriated the Crimean Peninsula of Ukraine following a plebiscite.