The Diplomat
The Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, announced yesterday that Spain will deliver a second batch of Leopard battle tanks and new Patriot anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine at the end of next June.
Robles made this announcement during his participation by videoconference in the twenty-second ministerial meeting of the Contact Group for the Defense of Ukraine, convened by the US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, and which was attended by the Ukrainian Minister of Defense, Rustem Umerov.
As usual, in the first part the participants were informed about the situation on the ground, currently critical due to the Russian offensive around Kharkov and the attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure. Next, the most urgent needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and their longer-term requirements were presented.
During the ministers’ turn to speak, as reported by the Ministry of Defense in a press release, Robles expressed the collective obligation to “continue to provide with the greatest urgency the support that Ukraine deserves and needs” in the face of the critical situation that is being experienced on the land.
The minister also highlighted the effort that Spain is already making, especially in the field of training, and reported on the progress in the preparation of the substantial aid package that is planned to be provided to Ukraine with the contribution of the Spanish defense industry.
Robles referred, among other material, to the second batch of Leopard battle tanks, whose delivery, she confirmed, will take place at the end of next month. She also announced the delivery, on those dates, of various types of ammunition, including 155mm artillery or a new shipment of Patriot anti-aircraft missiles, and, among other material, anti-drone systems, optronic surveillance and tracking systems, and turrets. of remote weapons.
Spanish support for Ukraine in the long term, added Robles, will be supported by the future signing of a bilateral security agreement with that country. The agreement, pending approval by the Council of Ministers, was going to be signed during the visit that the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, planned to make to Spain on May 17, which was finally cancelled. The objective of the agreement, similar to that signed with other countries, such as the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Denmark or Canada, is to guarantee sustained military support (delivery of weapons and training of troops) in the long term while waiting for concrete the accession of Ukraine to NATO or the European Union.
The minister, who was accompanied during the meeting by Admiral Juan Francisco Martínez Núñez, Secretary General of Defense Policy, concluded by reiterating Spain’s commitment to Ukraine as long as necessary, and its appreciation for the effectiveness and unity of the Contact Group. .
