The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was with a NATO leader in a targeted assassination attempt during a visit to Odessa.
Russia launched a missile strike in Odessa and President Zelensky’s motorcade was some 100 plus metres from the Greek Prime Minister.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis, was caught up in a Russian ballistic missile strike at 11.43am on Thursday.
The Greek state minister tavros Papastavrou, who is in the Greek mission, said: “There is no issue with the security of the Prime Minister and the Greek mission. We are all fine.”
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Zelensky was not injured and their meeting took place, the press conference was not broadcast live amid security reasons.
Mitsotakis wrote on Telegram, “President Zelensky and his staff showed and explained to us the importance of the port and what is being done to restore and strengthen the Ukrainian sea route and what damage he experienced during the attacks.
“Already at the very end we heard the sound of sirens and explosions that were very close to us.”
Mitsotakis added, that it is one thing to hear and discuss war, but it is “quite another to experience war firsthand.”
He said at a press conference with Zelenskyy in Odesa, “We were in Odesa port. President Zelenskyy and his staff showed us and explained the importance of the port and what was being done to restore and strengthen the Ukrainian sea route, as well as what damage the port received during the attacks.
“And at the end we heard the sound of sirens and an explosion that occurred very close to us. We did not have time to go to some protected place.
“And therefore this is a very, very impressive experience.”
Mitsotakis said, “we understand that this war concerns everyone and there are no people who are behind the war.”
“This war has no mercy on anyone, because we are in a wonderful place with cultural heritage and they can be destroyed here precisely because Ukraine is opposing such a barbaric force.
“Therefore, these are completely different things: reading about the war in newspapers and feeling it for yourself, hearing her.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called it a “vile attack” whilst the Greek Prime Minister was visiting, this is a “new attempt at terror” by Moscow.
Navy spokesman Captain Dmytro Pletenchuk, speaking to Ukrainian Pravda, said, “On March 6, the enemy struck the port infrastructure of the city. Five people were killed.
“Investigations are underway, all the circumstances of yet another war crime of the Russian Federation are being established.”
President Zelensky posted on X, “Today in Odesa, Greek Prime MinisterKyriakos Mitsotakis and I paid tribute to those killed on March 2 as a result of the Russian ‘Shahed’ strike on a nine-story residential building.”
