Dendias: ‘A conflict in Ukraine would have no winner’

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias has stressed the need for an immediate de-escalation of tensions in Ukraine during talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow Friday.

“A conflict in Ukraine would have no winner. We would all lose out,” Dendias said during a joint press conference.

He added: “Greece is listening carefully to Russia’s concerns.”

Dendias also raised the issue of Turkey’s aggression, including its threat of war (casus belli) against Greece if the country proceeds with its legal right to extend its territorial waters.

“Greece favors a constructive dialogue [with Turkey]; it is however prepared to defend its national sovereignty from any threat,” he said.

Lavrov said Russia was prepared to assist the two Aegean neighbors resolve their differences.

Responding to a question by Kathimerini correspondent Petros Papaconstantinou on the Ukraine crisis, Lavrov said Moscow was alarmed by reports of a sharp increase in shelling in eastern Ukraine using weapons prohibited under the Minsk peace process.