Greece starts transferring armored infantry vehicles to Ukraine

Greece started transferring the armored infantry fighting vehicle BMP-1 to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba announced this after talks with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece, Nikos Dendias, during a joint press conference in Kyiv.

"We especially appreciate the weapons that Greece is transferring to Ukraine so that we can defend our land.

And it is imperative that the long-awaited shipment of BMP-1 armored infantry vehicles to Ukraine from Greece has already begun.

Soon they will arrive in our army and instantly strengthen our country's combat and defense capability," Kuleba emphasized.

"We are very grateful to Greece for this help," he added.

Kuleba also raised the issue of continuing cooperation with Greece in this area. The head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry noted that strengthening air defense is now a priority.

"Greece knows our request and will process it," said the Head of the Ministry.

Earlier it became known that Germany sent the first batch of Marder infantry fighting vehicles to Greece to replace the Soviet BMP-1s available in Greece so they could be handed over to Ukraine.

On Sunday, October 16, the first six Marders out of the planned forty were sent to Greece. The next fourteen should leave in the coming days until October 21.

Athens, for its part, is to give forty Soviet BMP-1s to Ukraine.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced such a "circular exchange" at the end of May 2022. The final agreement was reached in September.

"Circular exchanges" were also discussed with other countries with Soviet-style weapons. In the case of Slovakia and the Czech Republic, the process has already begun. In the case of Slovenia, it is still being prepared.