The Diplomat
Her Majesty the Queen continued on Tuesday to host Jill Biden, with whom she visited the centre for Ukrainian refugees in the Madrid town of Pozuelo de Alarcón.
The First Lady of the United States and Doña Letizia, who on Monday had already had the opportunity to meet and visit the Spanish Cancer Association (AECC), yesterday wanted to show their commitment to the people who have had to flee the war provoked by Russia.
Jill Biden arrived at the centre, where the Queen and the Minister for Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, José Luis Escrivá, were waiting for her, accompanied by her granddaughters Maisy and Finnegan, aged 21 and 23, who had travelled with her to Madrid. Afterwards, they posed for the media next to the flags of Spain and the United States and a sign reading “Urgent Ukraine”.
The Reception, Care and Referral Centre (Creade) in Pozuelo, which the King and Queen visited last Easter, along with Princess Leonor and Princess Sofia, was the first of the four centres in Spain, along with those in Barcelona, Alicante and Malaga, which the Government set up on 11 March, three weeks after the start of the invasion of Ukraine.
At the beginning of their tour, they had a chat with the heads of some of the NGOs that assist refugees, including UNHCR, the Red Cross and UNICEF, to explain the work they do to help refugees. Later, they were able to talk to some of the host families to find out about their situation.
According to data from the end of May, some 22,000 Ukrainians have passed through Pozuelo out of the 124,000 to whom Spain has granted temporary protection – which means a residence and work permit – since the beginning of the war.
Doña Letizia and Jill Biden, who have shown great harmony in the events they have held together over the last few days, met again in the evening at the gala dinner offered by the King and Queen to the Heads of State and Government participating in the NATO Summit.
