Kyiv owes Greece a “big apology” after a Ukrainian naval drone was discovered off the island of Lefkada earlier this month, Defense Minister Nikos Dendias has said, warning that the incident highlights broader risks to maritime safety in the Mediterranean.

Dendias made the remarks during a discussion with Kathimerini journalist Vasilis Nedos at a conference on “National Action Plan under Conditions of Global Uncertainty.”

“In addition to the apology, [Ukraine] owes us the absolute assurance that something like this will not happen again in the wider region,” Dendias said.

He cited a scenario he raised at a recent NATO ministerial meeting, describing the potential consequences of a maritime collision involving civilian traffic.

“If a cruise ship were to go down from Venice to the Eastern Mediterranean – it was right on [the drone’s] course – and hit it, the ship would go to the bottom of the sea. How many dead would we have mourned?” he said. “And how permissible is this thing in the Mediterranean?”

“What happened was completely unacceptable. And we must be firm and absolute, we and all the other countries of the Mediterranean,” he added.

Dendias also referenced reported Turkish legislative drafts concerning maritime claims in surrounding waters, saying Greece does not have claims against Turkey but would defend its own rights if challenged.

Source: Ekathimerini.com