Greece willing to take in refugees from Ukraine, says minister

People fleeing Ukraine 'are war refugees, real refugees,' says Greek minister

Greece is willing to take in refugees from Ukraine, a government official said on Saturday.

Notis Mitarakis, minister for migration and asylum, said people leaving Ukraine after Russia’s military intervention “are war refugees … real refugees.”

“If we as a country have to take a number of people, we are willing to do it in cooperation with the EU. The costs will be borne by Europe,” he told news channel Skai TV.

He said Greece is ready to “participate in efforts to support the Ukrainian people directly, with technical and humanitarian help.”

The minister decried Russia’s “violation of international law,” saying Moscow’s “revisionist stance … is condemned by the entire Western world.”

“It is important for the EU and NATO to speak with one voice and take a hard line on these revisionist aspirations,” Mitarakis emphasized.

According to the UN Refugee Agency, nearly 120,000 people have fled from Ukraine to neighboring countries since Russia launched a military operation against its western neighbor on Feb. 24.

Reports coming in on the third day of Moscow’s attack indicate ongoing clashes between Russian and Ukrainian troops in the capital Kyiv.

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the military intervention on Thursday, days after recognizing two separatist-held enclaves in eastern Ukraine.

He claimed that Moscow had no plan to occupy its neighbor, but wanted to “demilitarize” and “denazify” Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Moscow of trying to install a puppet government, vowing that Ukrainians will defend their country against Russian aggression.