The Diplomat
The Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, announced yesterday before the plenary session of the Congress that the first six Leopard 2 A4 battle tanks of the Spanish Army will arrive in Ukraine after Easter. Likewise, she rejected, in response to Unidas Podemos, that the sending of military aid will contribute to an escalation of the conflict and assured that “there is no possibility of sending Spanish soldiers to Ukrainian territory” and that neither will fighter planes be sent, as other countries are already doing.
During her intervention, which took place at the request of the Euskal Herria Bildu and Republican Groups, the Minister informed that the first six battle tanks have already been completed at the Santa Bárbara factory in Alcalá de Guadaíra (Seville) and are currently undergoing certification in Cordoba, as a preliminary step for their shipment to Ukraine during the second week of April.
Subsequently, she continued, another four Leopard 2A4 will be repaired for their subsequent shipment to Ukraine on a date yet to be determined, as announced by the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, during his recent meeting with the Ukrainian President, Volodímir Zelenski, in Kyiv. In any case, the minister did not want to give more details out of “prudence” and in order “not to give clues to the enemy”. The Spanish tanks will join the 18 Leopard 2A6 already sent by Germany and the Challenger and Stryker and Cougar provided, respectively, by the United Kingdom and the United States.
In this regard, Robles warned yesterday before the Congress that, without international military aid, Ukraine “would have already succumbed to Russian aggression” and, therefore, the objective of the new Spanish military aid is to reinforce the “legitimate defense” of Ukraine against an “absolutely unfair” Russian attack.
“It is difficult to understand that it can be said that the sending of material contributes to an escalation of war,” she continued, in an obvious reference to Unidas Podemos, a minority partner of the coalition government, and other allies of the Executive’s investiture. “No matter how much some are determined to spread a certain message, through this dispatch we are not only not creating a warlike escalation of the conflict, but we are providing the Ukrainian people with tools to defend themselves,” the minister added.
“We will continue to do everything possible, but to achieve real peace, not the peace that subjugates and peace that demands the performance of a free and independent nation”, because “what peace do we want, the peace of the dead, the peace of dictatorships without rights and freedoms? We do not want that peace, we want the real peace, the one that allows coexistence and respect among nations”, she declared. “Despite the efforts made in diplomatic channels, Russia always maintained a dubious willingness to dialogue that ended with the invasion of Ukraine. We all wanted the crisis to be resolved through diplomatic channels and we still want it now, but the ongoing war is not on that path of dialogue,” she continued.
Likewise, Robles insisted that neither Spain nor NATO have ever contemplated the possibility of sending soldiers to Ukraine because this country does not belong to the Alliance and, therefore, does not benefit from the activation of Article 5 of the Atlantic Treaty, which implies the mobilization of all NATO members to help any of the allies. “Therefore, there is no possibility of sending Spanish soldiers to Ukrainian territory, no member of the Spanish Armed Forces is ever going to fight on Ukrainian soil,” she assured.
Robles’ appearance followed the approval of a motion by the Popular Party urging the Government to report monthly on the situation in Ukraine, a proposal that was rejected by the PSOE but had the support of Unidas Podemos and the Government’s investiture partners. Therefore, in yesterday’s debate, the strong discrepancies within the coalition Government regarding the shipment of arms to Ukraine arose again. During his intervention, the MP Ismael Cortés, from Unidas Podemos, urged Margarita Robles to clarify what the next step will be after the delivery of the Leopard. “Do we have to send fighter jets? What is the red line or has it been decided that there are no red lines?” he asked.
The minister “categorically” denied the possibility of Spain donating fighter planes to Ukraine, recalling that the Spanish Armed Forces do not have the F-16 model that Zelenski’s government is demanding. He also pointed out that it is unfeasible to send any other type of fighter aircraft because Ukrainian pilots would require up to two years of training.
