The Diplomat
The Ukrainian ambassador to Spain, Serhii Pohoreltsev, yesterday asked Margarita Robles for the government to send his country more weapons to try to equalise its forces with the Russian army, but the defence minister made no public commitment and promised to send warm clothing to Ukrainian fighters to face the coming months of cold weather.
Robles paid a visit to the Ukrainian embassy in Madrid, where she held a meeting with the ambassador, which lasted about forty minutes, just a day after the minister herself confirmed the cancellation of the shipment of Leopard battle tanks to Ukraine after verifying the “deplorable” state they are in.
This type of heavy equipment is one of the needs included in the “list” that Ukraine made available to the Ministry of Defence, which details the type of armaments it is requesting from its allies.
In a joint appearance before journalists, the Ukrainian ambassador expressed his gratitude for the supply of arms by Spain, but added that they still need “more and more things”. I hope,” he said, “that with the support of the minister and the government we can get, if not everything, we need to be able to win the war.
Pohoreltsev said he was convinced that “if you want to help, you always look for and find a way to do so, and I hope that we will soon have the material we have been talking about”.
Robles, for his part, explained that his team continues to hold “technical meetings”, once a week, in which the possibility of sending weapons to Ukraine is being studied, an aspect in which he has asked for “discretion”.
“Everything that falls within our possibilities we will continue to do,” added the minister, who once again referred to weapons as “defensive” material to work for “peace”, instead of military weapons.
The minister stressed that Spain has provided humanitarian aid to some 130,000 Ukrainians in the country, in addition to health care for soldiers in military hospitals. With a view to the coming winter, which is going to be “harsh”, she announced that preparations are being made to send shelter material to Ukraine.
