Greek businessman Evangelos Marinakis has urged for a compromise to be reached that sees Ukraine concede some territory in order to bring an end to the conflict with Russia.
The shipping tycoon and owner of Olympiacos FC and Nottingham Forest proposed his radical solution during the Fifth Thessaloniki Metropolitan Summit in a discussion with former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Marinakis’ sentiment centred around the notion of ensuring an end to the conflict so that no more innocents are killed.
“What I would prefer is for children to stop dying and let Russia keep some of this [Ukraine’s] territory and stop this war. That’s a fair compromise. Let’s stop the war,” the Greek businessman said to Johnson.
The former UK PM compared the idea to allowing Czechoslovakia to be seized by Hitler before World War Two, saying:
“How much of Ukraine would you hand over? How much of Ukraine would be fair to hand over to the aggressor to stop the war? How much of Czechoslovakia would you have given to Hitler?”
Marinakis argued it is not the same, but Johnson stayed firm, saying:
“It is the same! It is exactly the same! It is identical! If we are weak now, we will pay for it later on.”
He went on to state that more pressure must be put on Putin, adding that if Ukraine ‘falls’, the consequences for the West will be disastrous since it could encourage other authoritain leaders to follow suit.
Marinakis cited three major conflicts in total that have the potential for further destabilisation: those between Russia-Ukraine, Israel-Palestine and the closure of the Suez Canal by the Houthis, as well as the war with Iran.
He argued they all affect global trade, energy flows and shipping, either directly or indirectly.
Both Marinakis and Johnson also touched on the subject of Greece’s economy during the discussion that was held with Economist journalist Alasdair Ross.
Johnson said he was optimistic about the course of Greece’s economy, which he stated has already achieved a lot, while Marinakis had a more frank assessment.
“You mentioned the [economic] indicators; and we have seen that the indicators are doing very well, because we compare them with the bottom. And of course, whatever we compare with the bottom, there’s only way to go- up.”
He noted that many Greek families are still struggling as their income is not enough to cover essential needs.
“We see the prices going sky high and the real income for the average Greek wage earner is diminishing. So, this is something that the government hasn’t been very successful at and has not protected the Greek people,” Marinakis said.
“According to Eurostat data, Greece and Bulgaria have the worst real income. So, it is something that is a real problem that most of the Greeks are facing. This is something that the government should take serious and drastic measures to solve.”
