Greek opposition parties condemn Russian military intervention in Ukraine

Main opposition Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras condemned Moscow's military operation in Ukraine and expressed his solidarity with the people of Ukraine.

The "EU did not rise to the occasion as a strong geopolitical force to this great crisis", Tsipras said during a meeting held on Thursday with his party's diplomatic advisors.

He noted that the Union "must use all diplomatic means to ensure a cease-fire and that Russia withdraws from the Ukrainian territory and returns to the path of diplomacy," including Greece, he added.

"Today is a black day for Europe," opposition party Mera25 leader Yanis Varoufakis said on Thursday.

"There is a war, we unequivocally condemn Putin's invasion, but at the same time we must note, with grief, that there is a non-existent European Union," Varoufakis noted.

He criticized the Union saying that "it is watching on helplessly - irresolute and lacking either a foreign policy or internal cohesion. Today is a day of shame for Europe," he added while he described this as "a game between Washington and Moscow."

Meanwhile, earlier in Athens, a protest was held by Ukrainians living in Athens against the military attack in Ukraine.

- Donbas crisis and Russia's military intervention

The February 2014 "Maidan revolution" in Ukraine led to former President Viktor Yanukovych fleeing the country and a pro-Western government coming to power.

That was followed by Russia illegally annexing the Crimea region and separatists declaring independence in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Donbas in eastern Ukraine, both of which have large ethnic Russian populations.

As clashes erupted between Russian-backed separatist forces and the Ukrainian army, the 2014 and 2015 Minsk agreements were signed in Moscow after the intervention of Western powers.

The conflict, however, simmered for years with persistent cease-fire violations.

As of February 2022, some 14,000 people have been killed in the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Tensions started escalating late last year when Ukraine, the US and its allies accused Russia of amassing tens of thousands of troops on the border with Ukraine.

They claimed Russia was preparing to invade its western neighbor, allegations that were consistently rejected by Moscow.

Defying threats of sanctions by the West, Moscow officially recognized Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states earlier this week, followed by the start of a military operation in Ukraine on Thursday.

President Vladimir Putin said the operation aims to protect people "subjected to genocide" by Kyiv and to "demilitarize and denazify" Ukraine while calling on the Ukrainian army to lay down its arms.