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K. Mitsotakis: To send a clear message that the Alliance is fully united on the issue of Ukraine

“I hope that will not happen. But that does not mean that we should not be prepared for this eventuality,” said Kyriakos Mitsotakis, attending the NATO Summit, when asked if he thought it would be a red line to use Vladimir Putin chemical weapons in Ukraine.

“What is important is that we send a very clear message today that our Alliance is fully committed to the issue of supporting Ukraine in this struggle for its existence. And I also consider it very important that many of its member states “As a result of this crisis, the European Union has realized that Europe needs to increase its geopolitical footprint and its defense spending.”

He noted: “Greece is a country that has been spending more than 2% of its GDP on defense for a long time. European strategic autonomy is fully complementary to the Alliance. And I expect that this strong relationship will take concrete form at the Summit. of Madrid in June “.

Mr. Mitsotakis was also asked if sanctions related to natural gas are necessary.

“I think we have to be very careful to ensure that whatever measures we take do not end up being more painful for European citizens than for Russia. I think the package of sanctions that we have imposed is strong. I believe that now “We should focus on avoiding ‘leaks’ in the implementation of sanctions, that all countries that are members of this alliance participate in the sanctions,” he replied.

“As far as Europe is concerned, what we need to do is to act as quickly as possible to reduce our dependence on Russian oil and gas. This is the decision we have taken in Versailles,” he said.

“And, of course, we have to make sure that we use Europe’s collective power in the markets to reduce gas prices. Because the real problem we are facing now in Europe is the link between very high natural gas prices,” he said. gas and very high electricity prices “.

Mr. Mitsotakis also said that this issue will be discussed at the European Council this afternoon and that Greece has made very specific proposals regarding the use of the collective power we have in the market to lower gas prices, “why should to ensure that our citizens, our businesses, do not incur disproportionate costs from the application of these sanctions. ”

Asked if he considered a recession possible as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the prime minister said that growth would certainly be affected, based on our forecasts.

“And this is the price we will pay to resist aggressive behavior. No, I do not think a recession is possible. But – I repeat – it is up to us, especially in European countries, to be creative, to think of solutions outside the “We have a normal framework in order to put a limit on the increase in gas prices, which is currently causing really great damage throughout Europe,” he said.

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Source: Capital

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