The Ukraine war has shown what different geopolitical paths Greece and Turkey have chosen

Greece and Turkey have chosen very different geopolitical postures during the Ukraine war, dictated by the choices they made before the war began.

Greece held a ceremony to receive the first six of 24 Rafale fourth generation fighter jets rom France on January 19. They are the most advanced in the Hellenic Air Force and key to defence against Turkey.

Both Greece and Turkey have competed directly for geopolitical standing in the eyes of their allies during the Ukraine war. Both have succeeded, but their chosen strategies have highlighted their very different situations and trajectories.

1. Greece

Greece has built trust and favour with the United States. It has donated its aged BMP-1 armoured personnel vehicles to Ukraine, and in exchange got new German Marder APVs. It has also sent Ukraine two C-130 planeloads of AK-47s and ammunition. But these donations are pittances compared with those of Britain, Canada, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and France, and they are not the main reason for US favour.

Greece’s main card has been its port of Alexandroupolis. A 2019 Mutual Defence Co-operation Agreement has allowed the US to use the port as a logistics base to ship supplies and reinforcements to forward NATO members Bulgaria and Romania, and to ship weapons into Ukraine itself. The border of Romania with Moldova and Ukraine is only a day away from Alexandroupolis by rail, a faster transit than through the congested Bosphoros, and a more dependable one since Turkey announced it was closing the Bosphoros Strait to all military traffic (NATO included) on March 1, in accordance with the Montreux Convention governing its use.