Greece Opposes EU Russian LNG Shipping Ban
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- Greece is opposing the EU's proposed 21st sanctions package, which would bar EU shipping from carrying Russian LNG to third parties, arguing that as owner of 60% of the EU fleet it would be disproportionately penalised while shipping and tourism together generate more than a quarter of national GDP.
- The European Commission is now reworking the sanctions package after objections from Greece and other EU members, despite the EU itself increasing its Russian LNG imports by 11% in the first six months of 2026.
- In May, a fisherman discovered a Ukrainian explosives-laden naval drone in an inlet on Lefkada island in the Ionian Sea, prompting a senior Greek official to warn that Athens does not want its territory used as 'a theatre of war operations'; Ukraine's foreign ministry later apologized and pledged greater care.
- Greece's Deputy Foreign Minister Haris Theoharis signed Athens' first reconstruction memorandum with Kyiv, and Greek companies have already taken on at least four projects to rebuild hydroelectric power stations and other infrastructure destroyed in Russia's war.
- According to the Kiel Institute, Greece has delivered €170 million ($194m) in bilateral military aid, €1.14 billion through EU institutions, and €9 million in humanitarian aid — contributions made while the country was still recovering from bankruptcy.
- A November 2025 joint declaration between Greek PM Mitsotakis and President Zelenskyy pledged cooperation on maritime UAVs, but Athens has stalled the drone deal, with a senior official noting that '50 percent of the product built in Greece will be used against Russia.'
- Greece's port of Alexandroupolis has been a conduit for US weapons shipments to Ukraine since 2022 and began supplying LNG in November 2024 after Russian strikes on Ukrainian gas infrastructure.
Why it matters: Greece's dual posture — blocking EU LNG shipping sanctions while expanding reconstruction and military aid to Ukraine — shows how smaller EU members are absorbing real economic and security costs to sustain the bloc's Ukraine policy. Owning 60% of the EU fleet gives Athens outsized leverage over sanctions design, and the Lefkada drone incident plus active Russian hybrid threats mean every escalation risks dragging a NATO member directly into the conflict.
