Eduardo González
The acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, assured yesterday that the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has been invited to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which will bring together tomorrow 50 European heads of state or government in the city of Granada, but warned that it is not possible to confirm his presence because “he is the president of a country at war”.
“Ukraine and, of course, President Zelenskyy are invited to the European Political Community, as are all the other presidents of the Member States of the European Political Community,” Albares told RTVE’s La Hora de La 1 program from Poland, a day after participating in Kyiv in the first EU Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) outside EU territory.
“Will, of course, there is will, but bear in mind that he is the president of a country at war and his moves, obviously, are not so simple or so easy, nor do they depend simply on him wanting to,” he continued. “He is a president at the head of an army that is at war,” he reiterated. Therefore, when asked whether or not he could confirm Zelenskyy’s presence in Grenada, he limited himself to replying, “Let’s say that on Thursday we will see.”
Albares’ statements came a day after the acting President of the Government, Pedro Sanchez, held a telephone conversation with Zelenskyy to reiterate “Spain’s support in the face of Russian aggression”, as stated by the acting chief executive through his official account on X, the former Twitter. “Ukraine is part of the European family,” he continued. “We will be at your side as long as necessary, until we achieve a just and lasting peace, which respects the territorial integrity of Ukraine,” he concluded.
“I spoke with Pedro Sánchez to thank the Spanish people and government for their principled political and military support for Ukraine,” Zelenskyy stated via the same social network. “We discussed further cooperation,” he continued. “I anticipate that the Spanish EU Presidency will be fruitful in terms of opening Ukraine’s EU accession talks,” he assured. “We also discussed key upcoming international events and security topics on our shared European agenda,” he concluded.
Diplomatic sources assured Vozpópuli newspaper yesterday that Pedro Sánchez is trying to bring Volodomir Zelenski to Granada to participate in both the summit of the European Political Community and the European Council the following day. In the event of not being able to be present in La Alhambra, venue of both meetings, the Ukrainian leader could intervene telematically. On the other hand, if he is finally able to travel to Granada, King Felipe VI and the Ukrainian leader could be photographed together for the first time.
The European Political Community (EPC), a forum for dialogue and cooperation made up of the 27 EU Member States and another twenty or so surrounding countries – such as Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Switzerland or the Balkan states – to address issues of common interest, will hold its third summit tomorrow with the aim of promoting a more resilient, prosperous and geostrategic Europe.
The EPC was proposed on May 9, 2022 by French President Emmanuel Macron, whose country held the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU at the time, with the aim of responding to the regional challenges and problems caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The group met for the first time in October 2022 in Prague with the participation of 44 European countries. The second, attended by 45 states, took place in Moldova in June 2023.
