The Diplomat
The Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, reiterated yesterday in London, before her British counterpart, Ben Wallace, the need to “continue to provide political, social, economic and military support to Ukraine” adapting it to “the requirements expressed by the Ukrainian Government”.
Robles’ meeting with Wallace is a return visit of the British Defense Secretary to Spain just a year ago and takes place just a few days after both coincided in the last face-to-face meeting of the Contact Group for the Defense of Ukraine, which took place in Ramstein (Germany) last Friday. The Minister was accompanied by the Secretary General for Defense Policy, Admiral Juan Francisco Martínez Núñez, and by the Spanish Ambassador in London, José Pascual Marco, according to the Ministry of Defense in a press release.
During their meeting, the two delegations exchanged views on the situation in Ukraine and, in this regard, Robles reiterated the need to “continue to provide political, social and economic support and military assistance to this country, as we have been doing since the first moments of the brutal invasion, adapting it to the requirements expressed by the Ukrainian government”.
In the same vein, Wallace stated that “contributing to the freedom and dignity of Ukraine, helping it to defend itself, is a moral obligation” and stressed, therefore, the “continued, firm and unequivocal” commitment of both countries and their “agility in response”.
Robles and Wallace also discussed the priorities for the next NATO Summit, to be held in Vilnius (Lithuania), and stability on the African continent. Regarding the first point, the minister insisted on the need to “continue deepening complementarity with the European Union”, not only by coordinating efforts in areas such as climate change, the defense industry, resilience or human security, but also as “the only solution” to enhance cooperation in support of Ukraine. For his part, Wallace acknowledged that “beneficial areas of cooperation have been developed for the UK and the EU, such as in the defense industry, where it is necessary to work together and keep the possibility open for future projects.”
Regarding Africa, the minister defended both the Spanish approach to “Deterrence and Defense against Russia” and a wider scope to address challenges in all directions, including the Mediterranean and the South. “The challenges there now need some strategic patience and an adjustment of our actions to reduce tensions with some local governments,” stated Robles, who favored waiting for the right moment to reactivate political dialogue and prevent the negative influence of actors such as Russia. “We are aware of and share the same concerns regarding Africa: the rapid proliferation of terrorism, corruption, the widespread weakness of the rule of law, poverty,” said Wallace.
