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UKRAINE

Spain to reopen embassy in Kyiv, prime minister says

Spain will reopen its embassy in Kyiv "shortly," Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Monday, the latest country to return its diplomats to the Ukrainian capital after the withdrawal of Russian forces.

Spain to reopen embassy in Kyiv, prime minister says
Spain's prime minister said the embassy in Kyiv would reopen "in the coming days". (Photo by Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD / AFP)

The country’s diplomatic delegation was evacuated from the Ukrainian capital to Poland shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24th.

“We will reopen the Spanish embassy in Kyiv in Ukraine shortly, in the coming days, as another show of the commitment of the Spanish government, of Spanish society, with the people of Ukraine,” Sanchez said during an interview with private television Antena 3.

Spain is providing support to Ukraine through military equipment, humanitarian aid and by welcoming Ukrainian refugees.

Turkey has moved its embassy in Ukraine back to Kyiv after relocating it to Chernivtsi near the Romanian border.

READ ALSO: Spanish village changes its name to Ukraine

France announced last week that its embassy would return to Kyiv from the western city of Lviv.

Russian diplomats expelled

Earlier this month, Spain had expelled 25 Russian diplomats and embassy staff over the Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

“The unbearable images we have seen of the massacre of civilians in the town of Bucha after the withdrawal of the Russian army deeply outrage us,” Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said in a reference to a town outside Kyiv.

The Russian diplomats and staff “represent a threat to the interest of the country” and they will be expelled “immediately”, he told a news conference following a weekly cabinet meeting.

“We are talking about a group of around 25 people, we are completing the list,” he said.

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UKRAINE

‘Very high’: Spain’s govt split over €1 billion in Ukraine military aid

A split in Spain's coalition government over Madrid's pledge to provide €1 billion in military aid to Ukraine broke out on Tuesday after a far-left cabinet minister described the amount as "very high".

'Very high': Spain's govt split over €1 billion in Ukraine military aid

Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez signed a security deal with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday in Madrid which includes a commitment to provide military support to Kyiv worth €1 billion this year.

The Spanish prime minister said this would allow “Ukraine to boost its capabilities including its essential air defence systems to protect its civilians, cities and infrastructure”.

But Labour Minister Yolanda Díaz – the leader of far-left party Sumar, the junior partners in Sanchez’s coalition government – criticised the amount.

“These are very high sums,” she told Spanish public television TVE, accusing Sánchez’s Socialist party of a “lack of transparency”.

“We learned yesterday from the press that this billion euros was intended for arms for Ukraine,” added Díaz, one of three deputy prime ministers.

“Defence policy is very important for the country, and the people have a right to a public debate.”

The aid package was approved by Spain’s parliament but without specifying who the recipient would be, according to Spanish press reports.

Sánchez’s Socialists and Sumar have clashed frequently over foreign policy since they formed their coalition government in 2020, with the far left party highly critical of arms shipments to Ukraine.

According to the Kiel Institute — which tracks weapons pledged and delivered to Ukraine since the Russian invasion — Spain has so far committed €330 million in military aid, making it a small contributor on a European level.

By comparison, Berlin, Paris and Rome have committed €18.61 billion, €5.65 billion and €1.0 billion respectively, while London’s contribution stands at 9.22 billion, the figures show.

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