Ukraine has made clear to Greece in several face-to-face meetings that it will exercise its right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter on the high seas, specifically targeting Russian tankers in the Mediterranean, the European Pravda reported, citing Euractiv.
The diplomatic friction was triggered by an incident in early June: fishermen off the Greek island of Lefkada in the Ionian Sea found a Ukrainian naval drone carrying 100 kilograms of explosives on board. According to Greek intelligence findings shared with Kyiv, the drone was intended to hit a Russian tanker. The remote control apparently failed.
Greece reacted sharply: Athens demanded an apology from Kyiv and assurances that such an incident would not be repeated. The Greek government warned against turning the Mediterranean into a theater of war. In total, Greece sent three diplomatic demarches to Ukraine. Officially, Kyiv apologized and pointed to Russian aggression as the cause. Unofficially, however, Ukraine made it clear that it would not refrain from attacks on Russian ships in the Mediterranean.
Ukraine also cites the 1996 Friendship Treaty between the two countries. It states: ‘In the event of a situation that threatens or endangers international peace and order, the parties shall immediately enter into consultations to assess the situation.’ Kyiv accuses Athens of failing to comply with this consultation obligation and of prematurely politicizing the matter in Greek media.
Source: www.pravda.com.ua
