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UKRAINE

Ukraine asks Spain for air defence, weapons

Ukraine's defence minister said Wednesday he had asked his Spanish counterpart to supply air defences, including F-16 jets, and more ammunition to fend off Russia's invasion.

Ukraine asks Spain for air defence, weapons
Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov (R) and Spain's Minister of Defence Margarita Robles. Photo: J. J. GUILLEN / POOL / AFP

While Western allies, led by the United States, have been supporting Ukraine with military training and weapons, Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said still more was needed to help end Europe’s deadliest conflict since WWII.

“For us, the number one priority is air defence,” he told a joint news conference with Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles.

“We are very interested in contemporary airplanes of the new generation. We are interested in F-16 jets,” he said. “Because for us, destroying Russia’s air dominance is paramount,” he added.

Reznikov also said he had asked for 150 mm and 105 mm artillery munitions and amphibious vehicles.

Robles said the six Leopard battle tanks Spain had promised Ukraine would be “physically in Ukraine before the end of the month”. Spain will also send 20 armoured personnel carriers along with them, the minister added.

READ ALSO: Spain to send six Leopard tanks to Ukraine after Easter

Madrid has said it could send an additional four Leopard battle tanks to Ukraine and Robles said Wednesday these would be dispatched “as soon as possible”.

Ukraine is expected to launch an attack on invading Russian troops in the spring – its first major military push of the year.

A steady drip of dozens of leaked US documents and slides have made their way onto social media in recent days with information about Ukraine’s preparations and readiness.

A February 2023 document marked “secret” seen recently by AFP, said 89 percent of Ukrainian medium- and high-range air defences was made up of SA-10 and SA-11 Soviet-era systems that could soon run short of ammunition.

Both ministers denied claims in the leaked documents that NATO troops were on the ground in Ukraine. “It is not true,” Reznikov said, while Robles called the reports “completely false”.

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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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