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UKRAINE

Spanish PM to travel to Kyiv ‘in coming days’

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will travel to Kyiv "in the coming days,", a government spokeswoman said Tuesday without providing the exact date for security reasons.

Spanish PM to travel to Kyiv 'in coming days'
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (C) delivers a speech during his visit of a reception centre for Ukrainian refugees in Barcelona. More than 4.5 million Ukrainians have fled their country; around 25,000 of them have come to Spain. (Photo by LLUIS GENE / AFP)

The announcement came a day after Spain said it would reopen its Ukrainian embassy in Kyiv “in a number of days”.

Sanchez “will travel to Kyiv in the coming days, you will understand that I can’t give you more information about the visit for security reasons,” government spokeswoman Isabel Rodriguez told a press conference.

“It is a way of showing our commitment to the Ukrainian people and government,” she added after a regular weekly cabinet meeting.

Sanchez is following in the footsteps of several other European leaders, including British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen, who have gone to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s invasion of the country in a show of support.

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

The country has so far sent 12 planes with tons of weapons and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles said Monday.

“We will send as many planes are as necessary,” she added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky compared Russia’s devastating assault on his country to the Nazis’ 1937 bombing of the northern Spanish town of Guernica in an address to Spain’s parliament earlier this month.

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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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