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☆ A NATO country is refusing to give Ukraine its Patriots because it says it needs them for itself
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Greece's prime minister said his country cannot give Ukraine its Patriots due to security concerns. Kyriakos Mitsotakis said his country needs them to protect its own airspace. Ukraine has spent months begging its allies for Patriots to help fend off Russian attacks. AdvertisementOne of Ukraine's European allies is refusing to hand over Patriot air-defense systems because it says it needs them to protect its own airspace. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the prime minister of Greece, said in an interview with Greek news outlet Iefimerida that his country would not provide Patriots or S-300 missile systems to Ukraine.

Persons: Greece's, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, —, Mitsotakis, Ukrainska Organizations: Patriots, Service, Ukrainska Pravda, Business Locations: Ukraine, Greece

☆ Spain to send Patriot missiles to Ukraine amid mounting pressure from EU and NATO allies, report says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Cameron Manley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

It follows Ukraine's urgent plea to NATO for more air defense systems. AdvertisementIt comes after German defense minister Boris Pistorius hit out at Spain and Greece for not having sent their Patriot systems to Ukraine. Spain has decided not to send any of its launchers for the Patriot system to Ukraine, however, the El Pais report said. It currently has three Patriot systems, all purchased from Germany in 2004 and 2014, the report added. "However, from the very beginning, we stated that we cannot give out defense systems that are crucial for our deterrence capabilities," he added.

Persons: —, El, Boris Pistorius, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Putin, Zelenskyy, El Pais, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Olaf Scholz, Scholz Organizations: NATO, Service, EU, Spanish Ministry of Defense, Business, Patriot, Telegraph, Patriots, El Locations: Spain, Ukraine, El Pais, Spanish, Turkish, Syrian, Greece, Germany, Soviet, Ukrainian

☆ Zelenskyy fires more aides in a reshuffle as Russia launches drones and missiles across Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine is speaking during a joint briefing with Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis outside the Transfiguration Cathedral, which was destroyed by Russian shelling, in Odesa, Ukraine, on March 6, 2024. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed a longtime aide and several advisers on Saturday in a continuing reshuffle while Russia unleashed fresh attacks overnight. Zelenskyy dismissed top aide Serhiy Shefir from his post of first assistant, where he had served since 2019. Ukraine's air force said Saturday that Russia launched 12 Shahed drones overnight, nine of which were shot down, and fired four missiles into eastern Ukraine. Russia has escalated its attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure in recent days, causing significant damage in several regions.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelenskyy, Serhiy Shefir, Oleksii Danilov, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Centrenergo, Serhiy Lisak Organizations: Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis, National Security and Defense Council, Russia, Gov Locations: Ukraine, Greece, Odesa, Russia, United Kingdom, Kharkiv, Poltava, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk

☆ Russia hit a Ukrainian port city using one of its more brutal tactics, a double-tap missile strike that kills emergency workers too
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewRussia launched multiple missiles at the Ukrainian port city of Odesa on Friday, killing and wounding dozens of civilians, including emergency responders who were looking for survivors. The State Emergency Service of Ukraine said after an initial strike hit the city, its rescue workers quickly arrived at the site to search for wounded civilians, sort through the debris, and extinguish fires. In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services work at the scene of a Russian attack in Odesa, Ukraine, Friday, March 15, 2024. In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services help their comrade injured during a Russian attack in Odesa, Ukraine, Friday, March 15, 2024. Ukrainian Emergency Service via APThe attack is the latest on the strategic port city of Odesa.

Persons: —, Oleh Kiper, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Ukraine Bridget Brink Organizations: Service, Emergency Service, Business, Regional, Ukrainian Emergency Service, AP, Civilian, Southern Defense Forces, United Nations, Greek, Ukraine, NATO Locations: Russia, Ukrainian, Odesa, Ukraine, Crimean, Syria, Russian, Europe

CNN —A Russian missile strike hit civilian infrastructure in the Ukrainian city of Odesa, killing at least 14 people and injuring dozens of others, Ukrainian officials said Friday. “The Russian missile attack killed a paramedic and a rescue worker who had arrived at the scene after the first explosion to provide assistance. ET), striking a civilian building and causing a fire to break out, Ukraine’s emergency services said. As well as the 14 killed, at least 46 people were injured, including seven emergency services personnel, Kiper said. Emergency services try to extinguish a fire caused by the Russian missile strike.

Persons: “, ” Oleh Kiper, Vladimir Putin, Rescuers, Kiper, Volodymyr Zelensky, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Zelensky, Mitsotakis, ” Organizations: CNN, Emergency, Russian, Emergency Service of, Reuters, NATO Locations: Russian, Ukrainian, Odesa, Russia, Ukraine, Emergency Service of Ukraine, Kyiv

☆ Greece's S-300 missiles could bolster Ukraine's air defenses at a critical moment
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewGreece is reconsidering sending Ukraine its Russian-made S-300 air defense missiles, a turnabout that comes after a Russian military struck close to its leader during a visit to Ukraine. The conversation around the Greek S-300 is changing, said George Tzogopoulos, a senior fellow at the Centre International de Formation Européenne. As long as Greek defense needs are satisfied, the policy of swap deals will continue. A Russian missile exploded a mere 500 meters from the convoy he was traveling in with Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Zelensky. "If radars and spare interceptors are also included in the package, that would be a significant addition to Ukraine's air and missile defense," Borsari said.

Persons: —, George Tzogopoulos, Tzogopoulos, Frederico Borsari, Borsari, Ukraine's Odesa, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Volodymyr Zelensky Organizations: Service, Business, Center for, Patriot PAC, Patriot, Russian, Patriots, Greek, Ukrainian, Kyiv Locations: Greece, Ukraine, Russian, Cyprus, Crete, Turkey, Athens, Russia, United States, Germany, Netherlands, Pokrovsk, Mar, Ukrainian

☆ Russia keeps threatening world leaders when they go to Ukraine. What happens if someone gets hurt?
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In the two years since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion, allied dignitaries visiting Ukraine have been harried by strikes — and in one case, a drone — in the cities they've visited. "Definitely, I think Russia has been trying to be quite aggressive and intimidate Western leaders," he told Business Insider. President Joe Biden with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during an unannounced visit to Kyiv, Ukraine, on February 20, 2023. NATO's principle of collective defense — Article 5 — doesn't apply to armed attacks in this scenario as they would not be in NATO space, Loss told BI. Russia is 'greasing' a slippery slopeRussia is testing NATO's attitude to risk, Loss told BI, and the incidents involving leaders visiting Ukraine can be read as part of a much wider strategy of provocations.

Persons: —, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Mitsotakis, Vladimir Putin, they've, Joe Biden's, Josep Borrell, António Guterres, Frank, Walter Steinmeier, Cristian Nitoiou, Joe Biden, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Evan Vucci, Annalena Baerbock, scurrying, Nitoiou, Rafael Loss, Ukraine's, we've, JOHN THYS, Emmanuel Macron's, Putin Organizations: Service, Business, Reuters, UN, UK's Loughborough University, European Union, German Defense, European Council, Foreign Relations, NATO, Getty Locations: Russia, Ukrainian, Odesa, Mitsotakis, Ukraine, Kyiv, United States, Russian, Mykolaiv, Moscow, Poland, Baltic, Polish, AFP

☆ Russia-Ukraine war live updates: Ukraine says it’s rebuilding for counteroffensives; EU condemns 'reckless' and 'vile' Odesa attack
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis (L) inspect the functioning of the 'grain corridor' in the Black Sea in the port of Odesa, Ukraine on March 06, 2024. European Union leaders have sharply criticized a deadly Russian missile strike on Ukraine's southern port city of Odesa, near to where President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis held a meeting. Zelenskyy and Mitsotakis met in Odesa on Wednesday to pay tribute to the 12 people killed by a Russian drone strike on the city last week. During the meeting, Mitsotakis said the pair heard the sound of sirens and "an explosion that was very close to us." A Ukrainian navy spokesperson said five people were killed in the strike, according to Sky News.

Persons: Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Greece Kyriakos, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Mitsotakis, @ZelenskyyUa, Josep Borrell, Ursula von der Leyen, Sam Meredith Organizations: European Union, Sky News, Union, European, Russia's Defense Ministry, Wednesday Locations: Ukraine, Greece, Odesa, Russian, Ukrainian

☆ Zelensky: Russian missile strike hits near Ukraine and Greek leaders in Odesa
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —A Russian missile struck Odesa on Wednesday, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was in the Black Sea port city with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Zelensky was not wounded but said he was close enough to have seen and heard the strike and confirmed a number of people had been killed and injured. “We saw this strike today. You can see who we are dealing with, they don’t care where they strike. I know that there were victims today, I don’t know all the details yet, but I know that there are dead and wounded,” Zelensky said from Odesa on Wednesday.

Persons: Volodymyr Zelensky, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Zelensky, “, ” Zelensky Organizations: CNN, Greek Locations: Russian, Black, Odesa, Ukraine, Russia, Moscow

Greece has become the first majority-Orthodox Christian nation to legalize same-sex marriage under civil law. Public opinion in majority Orthodox countries has mostly been opposed, too. Civil unions may become more common among Orthodox countries gravitating toward the European Union. Greek Orthodox showed relative tolerance, with half of Orthodox saying homosexuality should be accepted and a quarter favoring same-sex marriage. As head of the Russian Orthodox Church, he oversees the world's largest Orthodox flock.

Persons: ”, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, “, George Demacopoulos, ” Demacopoulos, —, Vladimir Putin, “ perversions, Putin, Kirill, Moscow, Tiny Montenegro, Aleksandar Vucic, ″, ___ Smith, Yuras, Stephen McGrath, Illia Novikov, Veselin Toshkov Organizations: European Union, Pew Research Center, Orthodox Christian Studies Center, Fordham University, Ukrainian, of, of Human, Russian Orthodox Church, Kremlin, Russia’s, Levada, MONTENEGRO Serbia, Balkan, Serbian Orthodox Church, of Human Rights, Orthodox, Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Associated Press, Gec, Lilly Endowment Inc, AP Locations: Greece, Montenegro, Cyprus, Russia, Eastern Europe, Washington, New York, European, UKRAINE, Ukraine, RUSSIA, Russian, BELARUS, Belarus, SERBIA, MONTENEGRO, Serbia, ROMANIA, MOLDOVA Romania, Romania, Bucharest, Moldova, BULGARIA, Bulgaria, Pittsburgh, Tallin, Estonia, Belgrade, Kyiv, Sofia

☆ Greece legalizes same-sex marriage in a first for an Orthodox Christian country
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Sophie Tanno | Elinda Labropoulou | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Athens, Greece CNN —The Greek parliament on Thursday passed a law legalizing same-sex marriage, in a landmark victory for human rights in Greece and making it the first majority Orthodox Christian country to establish marriage equality for all. Now, same-sex parents can both be recognized as legal parents to their children. A recent poll carried out by Metron Analysis showed that although 62% of respondents said they were in favor of same-sex marriage, 69% were against same-sex parenthood. The same-sex marriage bill has drawn the wrath of the influential Greek Orthodox Church to which more than 80% of the population belong. All three voted against the same-sex marriage law, and the legislation could still push some angry voters to the right ahead of European elections in June.

Persons: Greece CNN —, Andrea Gilbert, “, ”, Katerina Trimmi, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Sergio Berezovski, Mitsotakis, Alexis Rafailides, Stefanos, ” Kasselakis, Tyler McBeth, Kasselakis, Elias …, ” Stelios Pandazopoulos, Angelo, – Organizations: Greece CNN, Athens Pride, CNN, Greek National Commission of Human Rights, Rainbow, Computer, EU, Metron, New Democracy Locations: Athens, Greece, surrogates, Thursdau, ”, Syriza, American, Karditsa

☆ Greece Promises Extra Aid for Grieving Farmers
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told parliament that the measure would cost the state 82 million euros ($89.31 million) in 2024 and announced more steps to appease the protesters. Farmers have been setting up blockades in central and northern Greece, echoing grievances from farmers across Europe, who have staged hundreds of tractors blockades in France and Brussels where EU leaders met on Thursday. A group of them lined up their tractors in the northern city of Thessaloniki on Thursday, surrounding the Agrotica trade fair venue. PPC, Greece's biggest power utility, will also offer an extra 10% rebate on electricity for farmers from May to September, Mitsotakis, who met protesting farmers in central Greece this week, said. Mitsotakis said that the state will spend in total 3.3 billion euros over the coming years to repair damage in Thessaly.

Persons: Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Mitsotakis, Lefteris Papadimas, Angeliki Koutantou, Renee Maltezou, William Maclean Organizations: Farmers, EU Locations: ATHENS, Greece, Europe, France, Brussels, Thessaloniki, Thessaly

☆ Biden appears to have found a workaround to the GOP Ukraine aid block — routing weapons via Greece
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewJoe Biden appears to have found a way around the Republican Party's blockade of Ukraine aid using a little-known presidential power. AdvertisementAccording to the report, Greece has weapons such as the S-300 missile-defense systems and Hawk surface-to-air missiles that would prove valuable to Ukraine in its war against Russia. Kurt Volker, a former US Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations, wrote for the European Center for Policy Analysis recently that the Excess Defense Articles law was one of a number of tools available to Biden to keep weapons to Ukraine flowing. The value of weapons that can be transferred under the Excess Defense Articles law is capped at $500 million. According to reports, Ukraine is running low on vital supplies of ammunition and equipment as it battles a Russian offensive.

Persons: —, Joe Biden, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Antony Blinken, Bradley, Forbes, Blinken, Kurt Volker, Biden, Volker, Mark Cancian Organizations: Service, Republican, Excess, Business, Foreign Armed Forces Financing, Russia, European Center for, Center for Strategic, International Studies Locations: Ukraine, Greece, Athens

☆ Biden administration tells Congress it intends to sell Turkey F-16s after Erdogan approved Sweden’s NATO membership
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The State Department also sent Congress a formal notification of its intent to sell $8.6 billion worth of F-35s to Greece. Blinken, in turn, told the Turkish president multiple times that members of Congress would not approve the sale of jets until Turkey allowed Sweden to join NATO. The Turkish Parliament finally voted in favor of Sweden’s NATO accession Tuesday, and Erdogan signed off on the instruments of ratification Thursday. The US official said this was to assure Congress there was no way for Turkey to back out of the deal. Hungary still must approve Sweden’s NATO bid for the nation to finally become a member.

Persons: CNN —, Biden, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Antony Blinken, Blinken, Erdogan, Hakan Fidan, Fidan, Robert Menendez –, Turkey –, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Menendez, Sen, Ben Cardin Organizations: CNN, NATO, The State Department, Turkish, Foreign, The New, Greek, House Foreign Affairs Committee, State Department Locations: Turkey, Greece, Sweden, Finland, Vilnius, Lithuania, London, The New Jersey, Turkish, Hungary

Britain's Labour Party Leader Keir Starmer attends television interviews on the final day of the party's annual conference in Liverpool, Britain, October 11, 2023. It is not unusual for opposition leaders to receive summit invitations, but COP28 is particularly resonant. Ireland's climate minister, Eamon Ryan, hailed Britain's climate leadership, but also said Sunak's reset of some measures had not gone down well when the news was reported while he was in New York for the U.N. General Assembly. Britain's development minister Andrew Mitchell, at COP28, told Reuters what Sunak did "was very good government". But the Conservatives' former finance minister George Osborne questioned whether Sunak had been angered that Kitsotakis had met Starmer before him.

Persons: Keir Starmer, Phil Noble, Starmer, King, Jordan, John Kerry, General Antonio Guterres, Rishi Sunak, COP28, Sunak, Espen Barth Eide, Eamon Ryan, Andrew Mitchell, we're, Kyriakos, Sunak's, George Osborne, Kitsotakis, Elizabeth Piper, Kate Abnett, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Britain's Labour, REUTERS, Labour Party, UN, Labour, General, Reuters, Greek, Elgin, British, Conservatives, Thomson Locations: Liverpool, Britain, DUBAI, Dubai, Israel, Gaza, Qatar, Brazil, London, COP28, Norwegian, New York

CNN —King Charles has worn a tie emblazoned with the Greek flag, just days after the British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak canceled a meeting with his Greek counterpart in a diplomatic dispute over the Parthenon Sculptures, also known as the Elgin Marbles. The King wore the tie while meeting world leaders – including Sunak – at the COP28 climate talks in Dubai on Friday. A Buckingham Palace source told CNN the tie was simply one from the King’s current collection and has made other recent appearances. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was due to meet Sunak in London on Tuesday. However the meeting was abruptly canceled by Downing Street after Mitsotakis made comments during a television interview about the status of the Parthenon Sculptures, which are currently housed in the British Museum in London.

Persons: King Charles, Rishi Sunak, Sunak –, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Mitsotakis, Lord Elgin, ”, Charles ’, Prince Philip of Greece, Queen Elizabeth II, Duke, Edinburgh Organizations: CNN, British, Elgin Marbles, Sunak, Downing, British Museum, BBC, CNN’s Royal, British Prime Locations: Dubai, Buckingham, London, Greece, British, Athens, Ottoman Empire, Corfu, Denmark

☆ King Charles raises eyebrows with his tie choice amid UK-Greece dispute
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Sunak deepened a diplomatic row with Athens on Wednesday by accusing Mitsotakis of "grandstanding" during a recent trip to London over ownership of the Parthenon Sculptures. Sunak cancelled a planned meeting with Mitsotakis earlier in the week. A Buckingham Palace source said on Friday that Charles also wore the same tie last week, before the escalation of the dispute. British media noted that, as well as the blue and white tie featuring the same white cross design as the Greek flag, Charles sported a blue and white handkerchief protruding from his jacket pocket. The museum has said it would consider a loan to Greece only if Athens acknowledges the museum's ownership of the sculptures.

Persons: Britain's King Charles, Rishi Sunak, Kyriakos, Charles, Sunak, Prince Philip, Mitsotakis, … King Charles, Chris Ship, Lord Elgin, Alistair Smout, Michael Holden, William Schomberg, Alex Richardson Organizations: United Arab Emirates, Greek, ITV television's, British Museum, Thomson Locations: DUBAI, COP28, Corfu, Sunak, Athens, London, Buckingham, Dubai, Greece, LONDON

LONDON (AP) — King Charles III caused some raised eyebrows Friday when he wore a tie adorned with a pattern of Greek flags to the COP28 climate summit days after a diplomatic spat between the U.K. government and Greece over the Parthenon Marbles. The British monarch is meant to be above politics, but many in Greece interpreted the tie as a gesture of solidarity with their cause. Charles wore it as he met British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and made a speech at the U.N. summit in Dubai. The king’s late father, Prince Philip, was born into the Greek royal family, and Charles has deep ties to the country. But officials pointed out that Charles has worn the tie before, as recently as last week.

Persons: — King Charles III, Charles, Rishi Sunak, Prince Philip, Sunak, Kyriakos, Mitsotakis, George Osborne, Britain’s Organizations: British, Greek, British Museum, museum's, Trustees Locations: Greece, British, Dubai, The, Buckingham, Athens

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak escalated his war of words with the leader of Greece on Wednesday, accusing Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis of trying to “grandstand” over the disputed Parthenon Marbles and breaking a promise to the U.K. government. Athens wants them returned so they can be displayed alongside the rest of the Parthenon sculptures at a purpose-built museum in Athens. Sunak said Mitsotakis had reneged on a promise not to talk publicly about the marbles during his visit. The leader of the U.K. opposition Labour Party, Keir Starmer, met with Mitsotakis in London on Monday. It’s not that difficult, prime minister.”___Associated Press writers Nicholas Paphitis and Derek Gatopoulos in Athens contributed to this report.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Mitsotakis, Lord Elgin, Sunak, Leonardo da Vinci’s, Mona Lisa ”, ” Sunak, “, Critics, Keir Starmer, Starmer, ”, ” Starmer, It’s, Nicholas Paphitis, Derek Gatopoulos Organizations: British, British Museum, ”, “, European Union, Conservative, National Health Service, Labour Party, Mitsotakis, Associated Press Locations: Greece, Athens, loggerheads, United Kingdom, ” Greece, Brexit, London

☆ Parthenon Sculptures spat: Britain’s Rishi Sunak cancels meeting with Greek prime minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Reuters —Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis accused his British counterpart, Rishi Sunak, of canceling a scheduled meeting in London on Tuesday in a diplomatic spat over the status of the Parthenon Sculptures. “I express my annoyance that the British Prime Minister cancelled our planned meeting just hours before it was due to take place,” Mitsotakis said in a statement. “Greece’s positions on the issue of the Parthenon Sculptures are well known. Deputy British Prime Minister Oliver Dowden was available to meet Mitsotakis to discuss these issues instead, Sunak’s office said. A law prevents the British Museum from removing objects from the collection apart from in certain circumstances, but the legislation does not prohibit a loan.

Persons: Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Rishi Sunak, Lord Elgin, ” Mitsotakis, “, ”, George Osborne, Mitsotakis, Mona Lisa, Daniel Leal, Sunak, Oliver Dowden, Keir Starmer, Starmer Organizations: Reuters, Greek, British Museum, British, BBC, Elgin, Getty, Financial, Labour Party Locations: London, Greece, Athens, Ottoman Empire, Mitsotakis

[1/4] An employee views examples of the Parthenon sculptures, sometimes referred to in the UK as the Elgin Marbles, on display at the British Museum in London, Britain, January 25, 2023. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsATHENS/LONDON Nov 28 (Reuters) - Greece's government on Tuesday accused Britain of showing "a lack of respect" by abruptly cancelling a meeting between their leaders at short notice in a dispute over ancient Greek sculptures brought to Britain in the early 19th century. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak cancelled a planned wide-ranging meeting with his Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis after the latter raised the decades-old demand for the return of the Parthenon sculptures from the British Museum. "It shows a lack of respect to the prime minister but also to the country he represents." "I don't think the prime minister needed really to intervene in this way and it hasn't particularly helped our relationships with Greece."

Persons: Toby Melville, Rishi Sunak, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Pavlos Marinakis, Lord Elgin, Mitsotakis, Mona Lisa, Marinakis, Ed Vaizey, Vaizey, Alistair Smout, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Elgin, British Museum, REUTERS, British, BBC, Conservative, Sky News, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Greece, Ottoman, Athens, Gaza, Ukraine, British

Now even the British Museum goes by the preferred Greek form — Parthenon Sculptures. For many, Parthenon Sculptures are its most striking example. They were shipped to Britain and eventually joined the British Museum's collection in 1816 — five years before the uprising that created an independent Greece. The British Museum says the sculptures were acquired legally and form an integral part of its display of the world's cultural history. That would add pressure on the British Museum, while U.K. public opinion is seen as increasingly backing the Greek demand.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Kyriakos, Mitsotakis, Athena, —, Leonardo da Vincis, Elgin, Melina Mercouri, Mona Lisa, he's, George Osborne, Pope Francis Organizations: British Museum, Acropolis Museum, Elgin Marbles, British, Mitsotakis, Vatican Museums Locations: ATHENS, Greece, Britain, London, Athens, Scottish, Ottoman, British, Vatican, Sicily

☆ FACTBOX-The Parthenon Sculptures at Centre of Row Between Britain, Greece
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

Greece has repeatedly asked for their permanent return to Athens, while Britain and the museum have refused to do so. They were transported to Britain and bought by the British Museum in 1816, and are exhibited as a prized part of its collection in London. The sculptures at the British Museum make up about half of a 160-metre frieze which adorned the Parthenon temple on the rocky Acropolis hill in Athens. The trustees have said they would consider a loan to Greece if Greece acknowledges the British Museum's ownership of the sculptures, which Greek governments have refused in the past. The British Museum in January 2023 called for a new Parthenon Partnership with Greece and said discussions were ongoing.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Kyriakos, Thomas Bruce, Earl of Elgin, Athena, Elgin, Oscar, Melina Mercouri, Mitsotakis, Fagan, Artemis, Pope Francis, Renee Maltezou, Alison Williams, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Britain's, British Museum, Elgin Marbles, British, Elgin, Athens Locations: ATHENS, Greece, Athens, Britain, British, London, Ottoman Empire, BRITISH, Italy, Vatican

☆ UK's Sunak snubs Greek PM at last minute amid ancient sculpture dispute
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 23: Visitors to the British Museum walk around a selection of items from the collection of ancient Greek sculptures known as The Elgin Marbles on August 23, 2023 in London, England. LONDON — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak canceled a scheduled meeting with Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Tuesday amid a diplomatic dispute about the Parthenon Sculptures. Greece has long maintained that the 2,500-year-old sculptures, removed by British diplomat Lord Elgin in the early 19th century and currently held in the British Museum, should be returned. The statues, also known as the Elgin Marbles, have been a source of disagreement between the two nations for centuries. Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden was available to meet Mitsotakis in Sunak's place.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Lord Elgin, Mitsotakis, Mona Lisa, Sunak, Oliver Dowden Organizations: British, Elgin Marbles, LONDON, British Museum, BBC, NATO, Downing Locations: ENGLAND, London, England, Greece, British, Athens, Ukraine, Sunak's

REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki Acquire Licensing RightsATHENS/LONDON, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis accused his British counterpart Rishi Sunak of cancelling a scheduled meeting in London on Tuesday in a diplomatic row over the status of the Parthenon Sculptures. "I express my annoyance that the British Prime Minister cancelled our planned meeting just hours before it was due to take place," Mitsotakis said in a statement. "Greece's positions on the issue of the Parthenon Sculptures are well known. Deputy British Prime Minister Oliver Dowden was available to meet Mitsotakis to discuss these issues instead, Sunak's office said. A law prevents the British museum from removing objects from the collection apart from in certain circumstances, but the legislation does not prohibit a loan.

Persons: Louisa Gouliamaki, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Rishi, Lord Elgin, Mitsotakis, George Osborne, Mona Lisa, Sunak, Oliver Dowden, Keir Starmer, Starmer, Renee Maltezou, Angus MacSwan, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, British Museum, British, BBC, Financial, Thomson Locations: Athens, Greece, LONDON, London, Ottoman Empire, Mitsotakis

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