Greece disagrees with Ukraine’s terms on naval drones
Drone Industry
During talks on a possible defense partnership between Ukraine and Greece in the field of naval unmanned systems, the parties encountered a number of disagreements concerning the terms of their use.
Censor.NET reports this, citing the Greek outlet Kathimerini.
According to information from the negotiation process, the Ukrainian side insists on retaining a certain degree of influence over how the Greek armed forces would use naval drones developed with Ukrainian technologies.
This concerns Ukraine’s potential ability to influence the use of such systems, particularly if they are based on Ukrainian developments or contain Ukrainian components.
Greece’s position: there can be no restrictions
Athens categorically disagrees with such terms. Greek officials stress that weapons in service with national armed forces cannot be used under restrictions imposed by another state, especially in combat conditions.
In effect, this is a matter of principle: control over the use of military systems must belong exclusively to the operator state.
Although this is not officially detailed, some of Ukraine’s reservations are linked to the broader balance in relations with regional partners, particularly Turkey.
Ankara, on the one hand, cooperates with Russia in trade and energy transit, while on the other, maintains active diplomatic contacts between the parties to the war.
As the NATO member with the longest coastline on the Black Sea and under the provisions of the Montreux Convention, Turkey is seen by Ukraine as an important strategic partner in the region.
Talks continue
Despite the existing disagreements, talks between Ukraine and Greece are not considered to have collapsed. Earlier, Greek military officials visited Kyiv, where detailed technical consultations were held on a prospective naval drone program.
The parties continue to discuss possible formats of cooperation, seeking to align both the technical and political aspects of the project.
