A missile exploded in the Ukrainian port city of Odesa early on Wednesday, March 6, just hundreds of feet from where President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
The blast, caused by a ballistic missile, took place a few hundred meters away from the leaders’ motorcade, a Greek official who was not authorized to speak publicly confirmed to POLITICO.
Greek State Minister Stavros Papastavrou, a top aide to Mitsotakis, confirmed to domestic media that there were no injuries among the Greek delegation following the explosion.
Authorities are investigating the cause of the blast. Odesa has been under Russian fire since the start of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The meeting between Zelenskyy and Mitsotakis went ahead as planned, despite the explosion. Mitsotakis’ visit was organized to demonstrate Greece’s support for Ukraine.
During a joint press conference after the meeting, Mitsotakis described the blast which took place as they were at the port of Odesa.
“Shortly afterwards, as we were getting into our cars, we heard a big explosion,” Mitsotakis said, adding that this was the “most vivid reminder that there is a real war going on here.”
“This is one more reason why all European leaders should come to Ukraine. Because it is one thing to hear the description from the media or from President Zelenskyy and it is quite another to experience the war first-hand,” he added.
Zelenskyy said the precise details of the attack are not known yet, but that people were dead and wounded.