In an emergency European People’s Party (EPP) summit teleconference on developments in Ukraine held this morning, Kyriakos Mitsotakis stressed that Europe must agree on the fundamentals and send a clear message that it takes its defense seriously.

In this context, he welcomed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s proposal to activate the escape clause for defense investments and emphasized the importance of finalizing the details as soon as possible. He also reiterated the need for European defense funding beyond national budgets.

The Greek Prime Minister and leader of New Democracy underscored that Europe must speak with one voice—something that is not achieved through selective leader discussion formats, especially when these fail to produce a unified stance on such a critical issue. Many leaders agreed with this position.

Mitsotakis also pointed out that while developments in Ukraine are crucial for European security, Europe must not turn a blind eye to security challenges in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East.