Russia-Ukraine: Sanchez announces that “Spain will defend international legitimacy” against Putin | international

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez accused Vladimir Putin’s government of committing a “flagrant violation of international law” and a “direct attack on the principles and values” of Europe with Invasion of Ukraine Thursday morning started. Sánchez appeared at the Palacio de la Moncloa to make an institutional statement after the extraordinary meeting of the National Security Council, chaired by the King in La Zarzuela, and before traveling to Brussels for an emergency summit of the European Council.

Sánchez solemnly declared that “Spain will defend international legality and will do everything in its power to restore peace and show solidarity with the population affected by the conflict”; He promised to take “as many measures as necessary to mitigate the economic as well as the energy impact” of the conflict on the Spanish economy. After informing the leader of the People’s Party, Pablo Casado, Sanchez stressed the need for Europe to provide a coordinated and united response so that this “unacceptable” behavior on the part of Russia did not go “without punishment”.

The first concern of the Spanish authorities is the status of the more than 320 Spanish citizens who remained in Ukraine (436 were registered at the consulate, but more than a hundred have left the country in recent days). The head of government explained that the Spanish Embassy in Kiev is in contact with all of them to provide them with information and to move forward with their evacuation “as soon as the situation permits”. With regular flights suspended from Kiev, the evacuation will have to take place by land, presumably to the border with Poland, an operation for which the Spanish Embassy in Warsaw will provide logistical support.

Despite reducing its diplomatic presence to “essential personnel”, the Spanish Embassy still has about thirty people in Ukraine. In addition, there are eight Spaniards in the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) mission, which until now has been monitoring the ceasefire between the Ukrainian army and pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country.

The Spanish government provided medical and health materials to Ukraine, as Sanchez approved them. But so far, unlike what other countries did, it did not want to supply military equipment and weapons, as Kiev claimed. Spain also participates in the €1,200 million economic support program offered to Ukraine by the European Union, which will have to be extended after the Russian invasion for the foreseeable future.

National Security Council meeting

In addition to the King and the Prime Minister, the National Security Council meeting, which lasted more than two hours, was attended by First and Second Vice Presidents Nadia Calvino and Yolanda Diaz. and Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albarez. Defense, Margarita Robles; Transport, Raquel Sanchez; Director of Sanchez’s Diwan, Oscar Lopez; Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Angels Moreno; Chief of Defense Staff, Teodoro Lopez Calderon; Director of the Center for National Intelligence (CNI), Paz Esteban; Minister of State for Security Rafael Perez Ruiz; Secretary of State for Commerce Ziana Mendez; Minister of State for Communications, Francesc Valles; Director of the National Security Administration Miguel Angel Ballesteros; So is the Minister of the Presidency, Felix Bolaños, who intervened by phone from La Palma.

Since the current escalation of tension began, the Department of Homeland Security has maintained an active cell in La Moncloa 24 hours a day, collecting information on the development of events. The status committee also met periodically with senior officials from various departments under the supervision of Minister Bolaños. But so far, Sanchez has not considered it necessary to convene the National Security Council.

The Spanish Armed Forces currently have a total of 784 soldiers in Eastern Europe, as part of NATO deployments to dissuade Russia after the annexation of Crimea in 2014. Since 2017, the military has a tactical group of 350 soldiers, equipped with a Leopard tank system, within Operation Enhanced Forward Presence (ePF), within the multinational battalion under Canadian command. In addition, the Air Force has four Eurofighter fighters and 130 soldiers at the Graf Ignativo base (Bulgaria) since last February 11; and the Navy, three ships (the frigate Blas de Lezo, the ship Meteor Maritime Action, and the Silla minesweeper, with a total of 306 sailors on board) in the NATO fleets patrolling the Eastern Mediterranean.

The Head of Government suspended the summit of regional heads that he called tomorrow on the island of La Palma, as well as honoring the victims of the Cumbre Vieja volcano scheduled for next Thursday, chaired by His Majesty. Queen. In a tweet posted this morning, Pedro Sanchez condemned “Russian aggression against Ukraine” and expressed solidarity with the Ukrainian government and people. “I remain in close contact with our partners and allies in the European Union and NATO to coordinate our response,” he added. It is expected that the head of the executive authority will appear next Wednesday before the plenary session of Congress to present a report on Spain’s position in the face of the crisis.

The government issued a statement on Thursday strongly condemning the military invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation. “It is an absolutely unjustified aggression, an unprecedented danger, and a flagrant violation of international law, and it endangers global security and stability,” the memo adds. Spain demands “the immediate cessation of hostilities before the number of casualties doubles, as well as the return of troops to the internationally recognized territory of the Russian Federation.” “In these very difficult times, we also want to reiterate our support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, as well as show our full support and solidarity with the Ukrainian people,” he stressed. The government concludes by noting that it is coordinating with its EU partners and NATO allies a “response adapted to the gravity of the illegal action of the Russian Federation,” which it describes as an “unbearable military invasion.”

The response, according to government sources, will consist of a “massive set of sanctions” on Russia that have already been agreed upon by EU countries pending their activation in the event of an invasion, although their content has not yet been announced. The same sources do not hide their concerns about the effects that these sanctions, and the expected Russian retaliation, will have on the Spanish economy and confirm that the European Union has provided assistance to compensate the most affected sectors.

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