Cyprus explained the refusal to supply weapons to Ukraine
[ad_1]
The Cypriot authorities do not plan to transfer their weapons to Ukraine, as this could create gaps in its own deterrence capability. Such a statement was made on Tuesday, June 20, by the President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides.
The politician said that “the Republic of Cyprus is under occupation”, therefore “we cannot take any action that will leave the Republic of Cyprus unprotected.”
Christodoulidis also indicated that Cyprus is seeking to increase defense spending to 2% of the state budget in order to ensure its own security.
In the fall of 2022, there were reports that Cyprus could transfer weapons from its arsenal to Ukraine if it received an alternative. It was reported that Cyprus has T-80 tanks, BMP-3 tanks, as well as Buk and TOR air defense systems.
The authorities emphasized that are not going to send weapons and military equipment to Kyiv, if Cyprus is not provided with modern samples in return. At the same time, it was emphasized that if other countries are ready to replace the weapons available in Cyprus with more modern ones, “this is a completely different matter.”
[ad_2]
Source link
