Vladimir Putin’s offensive in Kharkiv forced Volodymyr Zelensky to delay his first official visit to Madrid, initially scheduled for May 17, until yesterday. And the recognition of the Palestinian State, which the Spanish Government expected to approve on May 21, was finally delayed until today, in order to align Spain with Norway and Ireland in this step.
The two adjustments to the calendar allowed Pedro Sánchez to seal his bilateral security and defense agreement with the Ukrainian president yesterday, with military aid worth more than one billion euros this year, and for the Council of Ministers to approve today the recognition of Palestine, just after Benjamin Netanyahu bombed a refugee camp in Rafah.
Sánchez, who already warned in Congress on Wednesday that support for Palestine has the support of a large social majority in Spain, assured yesterday, alongside Zelenski, that “the vast majority of Spanish society is on the side of “Ukraine”.
“The most important thing is to help Ukraine as quickly as possible”, said Sánchez, after signing with Zelenski the political agreement on security and defense that commits military support for 2024 of more than one billion euros, in addition to the collaboration between the respective defense industries and other parties for the reconstruction and demining of the attacked territory. The agreement is valid for ten years, and the two parties will be able to update it each year until the planned incorporation of Ukraine into NATO.
In the company of Zelenski, Sánchez sent a message uniquely addressed to Putin: “We will be with Ukraine as long as it takes, until its freedom, its territorial integrity is guaranteed and its national sovereignty is respected.” This is the commitment he made, with a record figure for arms spending for Ukraine.
In the middle of a diplomatic conflict with the Israeli Netanyahu, over the recognition of Palestine, Sánchez assured Zelenski that “the courageous Ukrainian attitude is an inspiration for all of us who believe in democracy, peace and equality between states”. And he pointed out the “coherence” of the position of the Spanish Executive to support Ukraine and Palestine, in defense of humanitarian law and an international order based on rules. “Palestine has existed, exists and will exist”, he affirmed.
“The Russian aggression continues after more than two years, and that is why it is necessary more than ever to redouble our support”, emphasized the Spanish president in view of the Russian aggression that is now also raging in Kharkiv. “In this context it is crucial that we increase support for Ukraine”, he justified. And he highlighted the “enormous significance” of the sealed agreement: “It represents a new example of our determination to provide Ukraine with the instruments for its defense and its security in the face of the threat it faces.”
Sumar, partner of the PSOE in the Spanish Government, immediately showed his irritation following the confirmation that the more than one billion euros extra in defense matters already approved by the Council of Ministers will have Ukraine as their destination, and he urged the socialists to put this measure to a vote in Congress so that the parliamentary groups can set the position with all the information.
“Ukraine has the right to its legitimate defense against Russian imperialist aggression”, said Minister Ernest Urtasun to ratify Sumar’s position. “But in the same way we say, clearly and solemnly, that something as important as the shipment of weapons to a conflict zone outside our borders cannot be done in this way. Without transparency”, stressed the spokesperson of the formation led by vice-president Yolanda Díaz.
Sánchez rejected his coalition partner’s demand. “This is a memorandum of understanding, it does not need to go through Congress, because it is not an international treaty”, he alleged. And, in any case, he stressed that he already informed Congress of his intention to “raise the level of bilateral cooperation to a new level” with Zelenski. “It’s what we did”, he concluded.
The agreement will allow more Patriot missiles to be delivered to strengthen Ukraine’s anti-aircraft defense. Zelenski himself warned that every month Russia fires more than 3,000 bombs that “fall on the heads of the civilian population”. And he thus justified his demand to have a comparable amount of anti-aircraft missiles to deal with these attacks, and above all the platforms to fire them. “They are defensive means, not offensive”, he pointed out. And, despite the fact that he recognized that “Spain alone cannot” provide all the necessary armaments to counter the Russian offensive, he effusively thanked the “saving help” of Spain, which is the tenth country to seal an agreement of military cooperation with Ukraine.
In addition to the Patriot missiles, Sánchez assured that Spain is already preparing to send another batch of Leopard tanks to Ukraine, and more ammunition. It’s the war.
