Pedro Sánchez has justified as "a moral duty" the humanitarian, economic and military aid that Spain has been providing to Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion, of which today marks the first anniversary. And he has used the history of Spain itself, when the Western powers chose not to intervene in favor of the Republic during the Civil War. “In a conflict, not similar but with similar characteristics, the international community left us abandoned. And we cannot make that mistake", the President of the Government assured on TVE and RNE, in the series of interviews he gave this Thursday during his visit to Kyiv to Spanish media -also Ser, Antena 3 and La Sexta- that they are broadcasting today. "We must be with those who right now are suffering an unjust and unjustified aggression that contravenes the peaceful coexistence between peoples", he argued, after his new meeting with the Ukrainian president, Volodímir Zelenski.
The head of the Executive has thus defended Spain's position in this conflict, despite the discrepancy of his coalition partner, United We Can, for what he considers a warmongering escalation that does not contribute to peace. “I cannot speak for other political parties, but I can guarantee that the entire Government, all the ministers, are on the same side and we are recognizing who is the victim and who is the aggressor. There may be nuances, but of course we are very clear that there is a people that is being attacked, and that they deserve and need the help of the international community”, he pointed out. "All the political parties in Spain, and not only those of the coalition government, are helping those who are being attacked," he concluded.
“History, in the end, will recognize the contribution made by Spanish society and its commitment to peace. And peace has moments in which what we have to do is provide tools and instruments, including military ones, to a people to be able to legitimately defend their independence and freedom”, Sánchez argued.
Following the announcement that Spain will send up to ten Leopard tanks to Ukraine, Zelenski is now also demanding fighters. "At this moment, what Ukraine is asking us for are military capabilities to be able to defend itself against an attack by a foreign force such as Putin's Russia, and that is what we are doing," Sánchez shared. He has thus justified the increase in the number of tanks, from the six initially planned to ten. “This is very important for the Ukrainian army. They have asked us for an additional effort. And Spain is going to give it ”, he affirmed, during his interview in Ser.
And he has not closed the door on sending fighters either, however without committing himself to this new request from Zelenski: "We are going to study it, it seems to me that it is a legitimate request that we have to study." "When Ukraine requests this type of weapons, ammunition, military equipment, it is not to attack Russia, because it was never in Ukraine's mind to attack Russia or invade a square centimeter of Russian soil," Sánchez explained. Ukraine, he has insisted, "needs to defend itself against a much larger and better equipped army than the Russian one." In any case, he has warned that "we will have to see what are the military capabilities that the Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defense have."
But Sánchez has highlighted that Spain is not only helping Ukraine with weapons, but also, from a humanitarian point of view, with the reception of refugees -there are already 165,000-, and also financially -with more than 250 million euros- for the reconstruction of the country. The gratitude shown by Zelenski to Spain, he has assured, “has to comfort the whole of Spanish society”.
