The Diplomat
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, announced yesterday that Spain has joined the Joint Declaration of the G7 leaders to help Ukraine develop its military capabilities against Russia in the medium and long term, adopted yesterday in Vilnius on the margins of the NATO summit. He also confirmed that Spain will lead the Battle Group in Slovakia with the deployment of 700 soldiers.
Sánchez participated this week in the NATO summit, held for the first time in Lithuania, in which the leaders, according to Moncloa, approved “the plans that the military authorities of the Atlantic Alliance need to face any contingency” against Russia and renewed the command and control structure, which will be complemented by national headquarters.
During his speech, the Prime Minister assured that Spain will continue to contribute to the allied effort until “a just and lasting peace” is achieved, in accordance with “the spirit of commitment and solidarity with NATO’s collective defense”, and confirmed, as announced on the first day of the summit, held on Tuesday, that Spain will substantially reinforce its presence in Romania and will lead the Battle Group in Slovakia, deploying its forces for the first time in this country. “Spain will lead the Battle Group in Slovakia, where we will deploy 700 soldiers,” he told the press conference afterwards.
Ukraine was the main protagonist of the summit, where the allies approved a multi-year support plan to help this country in the development of its Armed Forces and committed, in the final communiqué, to invite Ukraine to join NATO once an agreement is reached and “all the necessary conditions” are met. The commitment does not include a timetable and makes it clear that the accession process will not begin before the end of the war. In this regard, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, lamented in Vilnius the “indecisiveness and weakness” of NATO on this issue.
Zelenskyy himself took part yesterday in the inaugural meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council, a new body approved in Vilnius by the allies to facilitate Ukraine’s rapprochement with the organization and which, according to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, will act as a forum “where Ukraine and NATO allies will meet as equals, hold crisis consultations and take decisions together”.
In addition, on the margins of the Summit, the G7 leaders issued a Joint Declaration formalizing their support for Ukraine through the adoption of medium- and long-term security commitments. The aim of this Declaration is to ensure that Ukraine has the support of the signatory States to develop its Armed Forces in order to enable them to exercise their legitimate self-defense and effective deterrence against Russia. This communiqué is open for signature by the other allies and Spain, as announced by the President of the Government at the press conference, “has decided to join this Declaration”.
