The need to end the war in Ukraine and to ensure a peace environment, Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis spoke in an interview with Fox News, while referring to Greece’s positions on the issue of defense spending.

“Now we have to focus on the future a future that will obviously include Ukraine and we must have the consent of Ukraine. But right now, the most important thing is to stop hostilities. The war in Ukraine has been going on for three years. It’s a long time. We need to ensure a peace environment. The United States is taking a clear attitude towards this direction, which we applaud, ”said Gerapetritis.

Concerning the issue of security guarantees and the role of Europe, the Foreign Minister noted that “we would like to see the end of this war in accordance with international law, because the truth is that we must emphasize the maintenance of international security architecture. And of course, the next day will give the opportunity to raise issues about rebuilding and security guarantees. I find that there must be a fair distribution of weight guarantees. Europe should also take on a central role in this. “

“For this reason, Greece has supported the upgrading of security mechanisms within the European Union. As you know, Greece has increased defense spending, over 3% of GDP. And we have encouraged all our allies to increase their expenses. We have also proposed to upgrade Europe as a whole of the ceiling of defense spending. We need to move on to a collective defense in Europe. And, of course, we have proposed that additional defense costs are not included in any costs of expenditure in order to motivate states to invest in defense. Security is, in my opinion, a broader term. And guarantees should include, not only any military forces but also all those procedures that essentially ensure that we do not have similar events in the future, ”said Gerapetritis.

“As for Ukraine, I believe that Europe should indeed play a dominant role. The United States, I think, must stand with Europe. Because if we are together we multiply our strengths. And you know, as Europe, we can provide multilevel guarantees in Ukraine. The Europeans are the neighbors and we must assume responsibility. We need the support of the United States because it is important to continue to be actively involved. But of course, Europe will have to play a major role, “the foreign minister said.