Athens and Kyiv affirm ties

Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis had a reportedly warm telephone conversation on Friday with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba.

Gerapetritis stressed that Athens encourages all international initiatives aimed at restoring Ukraine's sovereignty and preventing humanitarian crises.

For his part, Ukraine's foreign minister thanked his Greek counterpart for Greece's support for the G7 Joint Statement in support of Ukraine.

The two ministers reaffirmed their willingness to expand bilateral cooperation and agreed on visits by Kuleba to Athens and then by Gerapetritis to Kyiv and Odessa.

The two men also referred to the historical ties and the centuries-old presence of the Greek diaspora in Odessa and Mariupol.