Luis Ayllón
The President of Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, will offer Volodimir Zelenski, during their forthcoming meeting in Kiev, an increase in Spanish aid to Ukraine to deal with the invasion of the country by Russia, government sources told The Diplomat.
The trip to Kiev, announced yesterday by The Diplomat, was confirmed after the Council of Ministers press conference by the government spokesperson, Isabel Rodríguez, who did not give details of the visit, for security reasons.
Rodríguez stated that Sánchez’s initiative is a way of showing Spain’s commitment to the Ukrainian people and solidarity with the Ukrainian government, “as well as the “outright rejection” of both the invasion ordered by Vladimir Putin and a war which, in addition to taking many lives, “is not only against Ukraine but also against the European project and democratic values”, she said.
Preparations for the trip are being carried out with great secrecy by Moncloa and other ministries involved, such as the foreign affairs and interior ministries. Particularly in the latter, a great effort has been made to provide protection for the presidential entourage both during their trip to Ukraine and during their stay in Kiev.
According to sources consulted by The Diplomat, the trip is imminent, although for security reasons it has not been specified how the prime minister will arrive in Kiev. Some European leaders, including the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security, Josep Borrell, travelled by train from the city of Przemysl, in southern Poland, just 13 kilometres from the Ukrainian border, in the direction of Kiev.
Others, such as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who travelled to Kiev in secret, used a car, a helicopter, a military plane and the train, according to the Daily Mail.
Sánchez will be escorted at all times by members of the Special Operations Group (GEO) of the National Police, who escorted the Spanish ambassador to Kiev and a large group of Spaniards out of Ukraine the day after the invasion began.
The Spanish ambassador, Silvia Cortés, will soon return to her post, as Pedro Sánchez himself announced on Monday in an interview on Antena 3. It is not ruled out that the ambassador could form part of the presidential entourage that will travel to Kiev, and then remain in the Ukrainian capital.
The sources consulted by The Diplomat highlighted the danger of the trip, given that in recent days there have been renewed attacks by Russian forces around Kiev.
The programme of the prime minister’s trip could include a tour of some of the towns near Kiev that have been massacred by Russian troops. This was the case with one of the last visits by European leaders – those of Poland and the Baltic States – who toured the city of Bucha.
In any case, Sánchez will meet with President Zelenski and Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Smyhal, to whom he will reiterate his government’s support in the face of Russia’s aggression, and offer to increase Spanish aid.
The sources consulted by The Diplomat did not specify what the offer would consist of, which could consist of military material as well as humanitarian and economic aid, beyond the weapons that have been sent so far.
In any case, recently, in response to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s invitation to allied countries to send light and heavy equipment to Ukraine, as the Ukrainian government is demanding, the Spanish Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, indicated that the option of Spain sending tanks and planes is not on the table.
