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UKRAINE

Ukraine embassy worker in Spain injured by letter bomb

A security guard at Ukraine's embassy in Madrid was slightly injured on Wednesday while opening a letter bomb addressed to the Ukrainian ambassador, prompting Kyiv to boost security at its embassies.

Ukraine embassy worker in Spain injured by letter bomb
Spanish policemen stand next to an Ukrainian flag while securing the area after a letter bomb explosion at the Ukraine's embassy in Madrid on November 30, 2022. - An employee of Ukraine's embassy in Madrid was "lightly" injured on November 30 when a letter bomb blew up as he handled it, a police source said. (Photo by OSCAR DEL POZO / AFP)

The letter, which arrived by regular post, exploded as the guard opened it in the embassy garden, said the central government’s representative in Madrid, Mercedes Gonzalez.

“Fortunately it was not serious, the person has a small injury to his right hand. The letter was addressed to the ambassador,” she said during an interview with TV station Telemadrid.

A police source said the man had been “lightly” injured and “went himself to a hospital” for treatment.

Spain’s National Police force were informed at around 1:00 pm (1200 GMT) of an explosion at the Ukranian embassy in Madrid, the source added.

A security cordon was put in place by the police around the embassy, located in a leafy residential area in northern Madrid.

A man who lives in front of the embassy, who asked not to be identified, told AFP that he had stepped out to walk his dogs and now police were preventing him from returning home.

“I heard it, I thought it was gunshot. It was not too loud,” he said.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba ordered the strengthening of security at all Ukrainian embassies, Ukraine’s foreign ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko said on social media after the letter bomb went off.

Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares has spoken with Ukraine’s ambassador to Spain by telephone “to ask about the well-being of the Ukrainian worker who was injured,” the Spanish foreign ministry said in a statement.

Albares also contacted Kuleba by telephone to express his “support and solidarity”, it added.

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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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