Greece agrees to keep Patriot battery in Saudi Arabia after Mitsotakis talks in Riyadh

A sudden visit to Riyadh

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis made a sudden visit to Saudi Arabia on 25 October 2026, where he met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. The two leaders confirmed the strategic relations between Greece and the kingdom and discussed ways to deepen them, with particular focus on connectivity, energy and defence. Mitsotakis used the meeting to condemn the attacks against Saudi Arabia and to express Greece's practical solidarity at a critical juncture for the kingdom and the wider region. He reminded the crown prince that Greece has contributed to Saudi air defence with a Patriot battery since 2021.

Patriots to remain in the kingdom

The central outcome of the meeting concerns the Patriot battery. Greece responded positively to the kingdom's request for the system to stay in Saudi Arabia during this difficult period, and the two leaders agreed on its continued presence. Mitsotakis told the crown prince that Greece's presence adds to the security of the kingdom and to regional security. The battery protects critical energy infrastructure at Yanbu, on the Red Sea coast. The reports give no end date for the deployment and do not say whether its size will change.

Regional security and freedom of navigation

The leaders also reviewed regional developments, with particular attention to Iran and the wider Middle East. Mitsotakis stressed freedom of navigation, arguing that Greece, as a large shipping nation, attaches the highest importance to the security of international sea lanes and the uninterrupted flow of world trade. He repeated that international law must be respected. He also said that no restrictions should be imposed on freedom of navigation, because such restrictions would set a dangerous precedent. The Patriot discussion therefore sat alongside a wider concern about shipping routes. The reports do not describe any specific incident at sea.

Connectivity, data and strategic cooperation

The two leaders held extended talks on cooperation in connectivity, particularly in data, and on the EMC (East to Med Data Corridor) project. The project aims to connect Europe and Asia through Greece and Saudi Arabia. They also discussed the second session of the Supreme Council for Strategic Cooperation between the two countries. Their review covered progress since the council's first session in January 2025, which established systematic and institutionalised cooperation across a range of sectors. The reports do not give a date for the second session.

What the reports leave open

The reports do not specify the attacks against Saudi Arabia that Mitsotakis condemned, nor who carried them out. They give no end date for the Patriot deployment and no figures for the personnel or equipment involved. Energy was one of three areas of cooperation discussed, yet the only energy-related detail in the reports concerns the Yanbu infrastructure the battery protects. The coverage records a stated Greek position on the Patriots and a discussion of future cooperation, without listing any newly signed agreements.