Greece has reportedly expressed its willingness to transfer its Russian-built long-range S-300 air defense missile systems to Ukraine if the United States replaces them with a MIM-104 Patriot.
“If the United States installs a Patriot system on the island (Crete) and after it is integrated – connected to the national air defense system, then the S-300 can be removed,” Greek Defense Minister Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos told a meeting at the Greek Ministry of Defense. “The same procedure applies to any other Russian made air defense system that they may want to send to Ukraine.”
His remark came shortly after reports revealed that the United States is finalizing plans to supply Ukraine with Patriots, a hugely significant development. Ukraine is again enduring intensive drone and missile attacks against its cities and infrastructure. There are also fears that Iran could soon supply Russia with hundreds of short-range ballistic missiles, which Kyiv would need advanced systems like the Patriot PAC-3 to shoot down.
Ukraine would welcome the addition of Greece’s S-300s, even though it’s acquiring the much more advanced Patriot. After all, Kyiv has plenty of experience operating S-300s, so it could immediately press the Greek system into service since it won’t require any additional training or technical assistance. On Dec. 1, Ukrainian Defense Minister Olekssi Reznikov said Ukraine is “currently negotiating with the defense ministers of all countries that have S-300s in service regarding the possibility of replenishing stocks of missiles from their warehouses and arsenals.”
Ukrainian S-300 missile being test-fired in 2021 before the current war.
Those negotiations could have led Greece to consider supplying its S-300s for the first time. Whatever the case, Panagiotopoulos’ latest statement is undoubtedly a complete turnabout from when, in June, he said, “Greece will not be sending the S-300 weapons systems. What we need, what is useful, and mainly operationally active, we do not intend to release.”
His choice of words was interesting. After all, Greece only came into possession of its S-300s by chance back in the late 1990s. It was Cyprus that had initially ordered the Russian system, sparking a tense standoff with Turkey. To avert a possible war, the batteries were instead diverted to Crete and remained in storage until Greece test-fired some for the first time in 2013. In late August, Turkey claimed that a Greek S-300 radar locked onto its F-16s as they were conducting a reconnaissance mission in international airspace. If true, that incident suggests Athens was testing the systems again or even putting them into active service amidst growing tensions with Turkey in the Aegean Sea.
In his latest statement, Panagiotopoulos clarified that Greece doesn’t aim to obtain a new Patriot. Athens merely wants an American system deployed on Crete, “which means that the Patriot system will be under the control of the Americans.”
Slovakia signed a deal allowing the Czech Republic and Poland to patrol its airspace so it can supply its upgraded Soviet-era MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine without compromising its own air defenses. Czech and Polish jets will patrol Slovakian airspace while Bratislava waits for delivery of the F-16s it ordered to replace those aging Soviet warplanes. Slovakia transferred its S-300 to Ukraine in April, a successful delivery that could potentially serve as a model for any Greek transfer. By requesting an American Patriot, Greece could be seeking a similar arrangement to ensure there aren’t any potential gaps in its defenses.
Athens may also have concluded that having an American-operated Patriot deployed on Crete could prove advantageous during recurring tensions with Turkey. Athens already hopes its deepening defense cooperation with Washington will help deter Ankara. A deployment of a U.S. Patriot on Crete would aptly symbolize that close cooperation between the two allied NATO militaries, especially since the U.S. hasn’t deployed Patriots in Turkey for years now. The United States would welcome Greece offloading its S-300s and other Russian-made weaponry.
An S-300 PMU-1 anti-aircraft missile launches during a Greek army military exercise near Chania on … [+]
It’s worth noting that Greece has the older PMU-1 version of the S-300. In 2020, it reportedly wanted Russia to upgrade it to the PMU-2 standard, which would have significantly expanded the system’s range and doubled the accuracy of its missiles. The U.S. objected and Greece scrapped the idea. Offloading it now could, therefore, make a lot of sense for Athens.
Aside from S-300s, Greece also has short and medium-range Russian-built Osa and Tor air defense systems that Kyiv would find useful. They could also be replaced by American or European equipment, such as the IRIS-T or NASAMS. Cyprus has Tor and Buk systems as well as Russian T-80 main battle tanks and Mi-35P attack helicopters. Nicosia has already hinted that it would consider making this Russian-built arsenal available for Ukraine provided it is guaranteed immediate replacements, citing the need to maintain its military strength to defend itself against Turkey. The U.S. lifted its 1987 arms embargo on the partitioned island in October, finally making it possible for Nicosia to procure Western weaponry.
Patriots will most likely be the most sophisticated system Kyiv will acquire in 2023. Nevertheless, receiving Greece’s S-300 and other Russian systems in the Greek and Cypriot arsenals could also help Ukraine bolster its air defenses at this crucial moment when Kyiv needs everything it can get to fend off these drone and missile onslaughts.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/pauliddon/2022/12/19/ukraine-may-finally-get-greeces-russian-s-300-missiles/