ATHENS – Government spokesperson Yiannis Oikonomou referred to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in the press briefing on Monday, noting that “the Russian invasion reorders reality, both in Europe and in the whole world, on multiple levels.”

“The world as we knew it has radically changed in the last two years and it seems that this is continuing to happen, in an avalanche of change. Many things that we considered certain after the end of WWII and the end of the Cold War are being called into question so we have to adapt quickly to the new situation and respond to the new environment,” Oikonomou said.

He underlined that Greece is closely monitoring the developments in Ukraine and is actively participating in the decisions of its EU partners and allies for the imposition of sanctions on Russia and the support of the Ukrainian people.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis highlighted these positions both at the European Council and at the extraordinary NATO summit, Economou said. He also pointed out that there is no doubt the we are at the beginning of a new era and that there will be substantial turbulences in the energy market, he added.

Oikonomou referred in detail to Mitsotakis’ positions and stressed that Greece supports the respect of the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of all countries as a matter of principle, while noting that revisionism is the main threat for world peace and should not be tolerated, wherever it may come from.

He spoke of the vindication of the European leaders’ positions, including Mitsotakis, saying that the developments prove that defence is both an end in itself but also a national priority.

Concluding, Oikonomou referred to the discussion and briefing on the developments in Ukraine in parliament on Tuesday. “Active Russian revisionism, which President Putin tried to support theoretically on the basis of historic and political facts, is structurally outdated. It turns us violently back to a murky past. If this trend is not stopped in the making, then we will reap many storms on every level,” he added.