President Joe Biden on Monday thanked Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis for his country’s “moral leadership” in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as the two held talks at the White House on Monday about the ongoing conflict.

What You Need To Know

  • President Joe Biden on Monday welcomed Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to the White House and thanked him for his country’s “moral leadership” in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

  • Mitsotakis said that relations between the two countries are at "an all-time high"

  • Biden also celebrated 201 years of Greek independence – the commemoration of the bicentennial of the start of the Greek War of Independence, 2021, was delayed due to COVID-19 – as well as the shared democratic values of the U.S. and Greece and a "burgeoning personal friendship" between himself and Mitsotakis

  • While in Washington, Mitsotakis will also deliver an address to a joint session of Congress, a relatively rare honor for a visiting world leader

"Sadly, Russia's brutal attack on Ukraine is ... about a threat to democracy by autocrats who want to bear down on rules-tested orders and rules-based orders," Biden said, before thanking Mitsotakis for his leadership in the crisis.

Biden extolled that "the friendship and partnership between our countries, between Greeks and Americans is, I think, more important than ever, and I'm honored to celebrate that partnership with you," calling him a "good friend."

"We are now facing united the challenge of Russian aggression," Mitsotakis said, stressing the need for unity before praising the alliance between the U.S. and Greece, saying relations are at "an all-time high."

"At the same time this visit is an opportunity to reassess the status of our relationship," he said. "I honestly believe it is at an all-time high, and I'm not just speaking about the defense component of the relationship, but also speaking about trade, investment" and being both a "reliable partner" in the Mediterranean and "a pillar of stability" in the Balkans and broader region.

The leaders were set to discuss the war in Ukraine, energy security, climate change and defense and trade partnerships, in addition to other topics.

Biden also celebrated 201 years of Greek independence – the commemoration of the bicentennial of the start of the Greek War of Independence, 2021, was delayed due to COVID-19 – as well as the shared democratic values of the U.S. and Greece and a "burgeoning personal friendship" between himself and Mitsotakis. 

Later Monday, Biden and first lady Dr. Jill Biden hosted a reception to mark the bicentennial with Mitsotakis and his wife, Mareva Grabowski-Mitsotakis. Dr. Biden cheered the fact that it was not just a celebration of the bicentennial, but the "first in-person Greek heritage event of our administration."

"I'm told that there's a Greek proverb that says, a society becomes great when its elders plant trees, trees whose shade they know they will never enjoy," she said, paraphrasing the proverb. "From democracy and philosophy, to astronomy and medicine, to art and literature, the legacy of Greece touches every corner of our culture. We all enjoy the shades of its branches."

"The story of America is the story of all of you," she added. "You are a part of our beautiful and rich history. You help write our future every day. And the trees you plant will continue to cover our world."

The president jokingly referred to himself as "Joe Bidenopoulos" by the Greek-American community in Delaware, which helped support his Senate candidacy, and said he has been "blessed with lifelong friendships and political mentors" in the Greek-American community. Biden took time to recognize Maryland Rep. John Sarbanes, whose father, Paul, a longtime Maryland Senator, was a great mentor of his when he first joined the Senate.

"We all are thinking about missing your dad today," Biden said to Sarbanes about his father.

"It's no exaggeration to say that today our friendship and partnership and our lines is closer and stronger than it's ever been," Biden said following his conversation with Mitsotakis. "We had a great conversation, and the dangerous part for you all is we like one another. Our two nations are working together across the board on climate and energy trade investment, and defense, disaster response and so much more."

Biden invoked the Greek war of independence, saying that the ancient Greeks inspired the United States' own revolution and drew comparison to Ukraine's war against Russia.

"We're seeing horrific atrocities and war crimes, children being buried in mass graves, millions of refugees fleeing [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's war," Biden said. "And Greece and United States are standing as one to support the people in Ukraine and impose severe economic costs on Russia to hold Putin accountable."

"I want to thank you, Mr. Prime Minister, for the moral courage and clarity you have shown from the very beginning of this crisis, speaking out immediately to condemn Russia's aggression, welcoming Ukrainian refugees, being a bulwark of security for NATO's Eastern and South Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean," Biden continued. "Together we're showing the power and capacity of democracies to be able to act in unison. We're helping Ukrainians say no to Russian aggression. And we're saying no to tyranny, to the idea that autocracies will outpace democracies in the 21st century."

Biden said that he looks forward to seeing Mitsotakis again at the NATO summit in June in Spain, as well as a possible future visit to Greece.

Mitsotakis also thanked Biden for his leadership in Ukrainian conflict.

"The sanctions we have imposed on Russia are crushing, and rightly so," Mitsotakis said. "But as we discussed, we must not lose sight of the fact that our societies are paying a heavy price in terms of energy prices. In this respect, there is so much more we can do together, the European Union and the United States, to bring down the prices of energy and in particular the price of gas."

"As we reduce our dependence on Russian hydrocarbons, we also need to use our market power as larger purchases of gas to deliver short term relief to our households and our businesses," Mitsotakis said, adding: "Greece plans to play an important role as a gateway for electricity produced from cheap renewable sources, primarily sun in the Middle East."

Touting his country's economic recovery, including repaying its debt to the International Monetary Fund two years ahead of schedule, investments in clean energy and bringing manufacturing jobs back to Europe, Mitsotakis pledged: "Greece is back, and a promising future lies ahead."

As Europe looks to ween itself off of Russian energy, Mitsotakis has pushed the idea of Greece becoming an energy hub that can bring gas from southwest Asia and the Middle East to eastern Europe.

A new Greece-to-Bulgaria pipeline — built during the COVID-19 pandemic, tested and due to start commercial operation in June — is slated to bring large volumes of gas flow between the the two countries in both directions to generate electricity, fuel industry and heat homes.

The new pipeline connection, called the Gas Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria, will give Bulgaria access to ports in neighboring Greece that are importing liquefied natural gas, or LNG, and also will bring gas from Azerbaijan through a new pipeline system that ends in Italy. Russia announced last month it was cutting off natural gas exports to Bulgaria and Poland over the countries’ refusal to pay in rubles.

The Oval Office meeting with Biden also comes after Greece, a fellow NATO nation, last week formally extended its bilateral military agreement with the United States for five years, replacing an annual review of the deal that grants the U.S. military access to three bases in mainland Greece as well as the American naval presence on the island of Crete.

Mitsotakis has expressed support for Finland and Sweden seeking membership in the NATO defense alliance, a development welcomed by much of the 30-nation group with the notable exception of Tukey, which remains locked in a decades-old dispute with Greece on sea boundaries and mineral rights in the eastern Mediterranean.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday again voiced some objections to accepting Finland and Sweden, accusing the two countries of supporting Kurdish militants and others whom Turkey considers to be terrorists.

“Neither country has an open, clear stance against terrorist organizations,” Erdogan said at a joint news conference with the visiting Algerian president. “We cannot say ‘yes’ to those who impose sanctions on Turkey, on joining NATO, which is a security organization.”

Mitsotakis, in an appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Monday, expressed optimism that Turkey, in the end, won’t hold up Finland and Sweden’s bid to join NATO and addressed speculation that Erdogan might use the moment to win concessions from the Biden administration on weapons sales or other matters.

“This is not really the right time to use a NATO membership (application) by these two countries to bargain” for other issues,” he said.

While in Washington, Mitsotakis will also deliver an address to a joint session of Congress, a relatively rare honor for a visiting world leader. The most recent leader to do so was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who delivered the address virtually in March, just weeks into the war with Russia.

In addition to his address to Congress, Mitsotakis is scheduled on Tuesday to be honored at a luncheon hosted by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and will meet with members of the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues and members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.