ATHENS – Greece will fulfill its duties to NATO, but stop short of engaging in any military activities against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, including the use of weapons it won’t let other countries use.

After Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis condemned Russia and said underlined Greece’s commitment to the defense alliance, New Democracy government spokesman Giannis Oikonomou repeated the obligations.

He said those include “forces which, from time to time, are reserved under NATO command, as is done for all Alliance countries,” but told Antenna TV that, “There is no question of Greek aircraft or helicopters going to Poland and being flown by Ukrainian pilots.

“We are militarily committed to some obligations, in terms of our relationship with NATO. This applies to all countries in the Alliance,” he said, adding that Greece “will not have any such involvement,” even indirectly with Russia.

He reiterated that the Greek government has “taken a clear position against the invasion and the revisionist stance of the Russian President and Russia, which is manifested by this violent attack against Ukraine.”

“If these storms, which have now started, are not dealt with decisively as they arise, things will be much worse. There is no room for petty expediency, especially not from a country like Greece, which has suffered from such injustices in the past,” he said.

He added that, “The questioning of international treaties, the questioning of borders, of international law, cannot be tolerated in any way, either de jure or de facto,” Oikonomou said.

He said the European Union sanctions that Greece supports will inevitably have economic consequences in dealings with Russia, which supplies up to 40 percent of the energy for the bloc and country as well as some major trade and business ties.

“The Greek economy is designed and structured in such a way as to withstand these shocks. Especially tourism, with the attractive tourist product we provide, with the high-quality services we offer, with all the tradition and professionalism, will obviously be able to withstand any pressure or losses,” he added.

Mitsotakis separately said that Greece knows its geopolitical position and significance. “In Eastern Europe, but always in the center of the West… We are the West and we belong to freedom,” he said, reported Kathimerini.