ODESSA – Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, his country undergoing an ongoing Russian invasion, called on Greece to support a bid for NATO membership and include Odessa, with a history of a Greek community, on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

“Discussed with Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis situation at Zaporizhzhia NPP and further grain corridors. Asked Greece to contribute to inclusion of Odesa in UNESCO list. Thanked for support of sanctions & comprehensive assistance. Called to support Ukraine’s application to NATO,” Shmyhal posted on Twitter, said the news site Ukrinform.

On Sept. 30, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Verkhovna Rada Chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk, and Shmyhal signed Ukraine’s application for accession to NATO under an accelerated procedure.

Eleven NATO Member States have already publicly supported Ukraine’s application but it hasn’t progressed as the defense alliance is steering clear of the war that Russian President Vladimir Putin began after talk that Ukraine might begin an admission process.

Greece’s major opposition SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras, whose party has pro-Russian elements, doesn’t want Ukraine admitted to the defense alliance, nor to the European Union. said Greece’s state-run Athens-Macedonia News Agency (AMNA).