The Diplomat
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, assured today in Prague, upon his arrival at the NATO ministerial meeting, that the Government of Ukraine has not requested “authorization” from Spain to use the weapons donated by our country in Russian territory.
“That request has not been made and, therefore, the material that we are delivering is material so that Ukraine can defend itself and its territory,” Albares told reporters.
When asked whether the decision of other countries (such as the United States or France) to authorize the use of their weapons in Russian territory (although near the Kharkiv area) could escalate the conflict and even involve NATO in the war, Albares stated that “the only one that is causing an escalation from day one and that does not need any excuse or any conditions to escalate is Russia.” “From day one, the only reason for the violence and the escalation in violence comes from Russian aggression, completely contrary to international law,” he added.
NATO Secretary General Jan Stoltenberg has asked allies to allow Ukraine to use weapons donated by the West to attack Russian territory, but has insisted that these attacks must comply with international legality and be carried out in a safe manner. “reasonable” manner.
Likewise, Stoltenberg has proposed the launch of a fund of 100 billion euros over five years to support Ukraine. In this sense, Albares has defended the creation of a fund that provides “predictability to Ukraine”, since “it needs to know at all times what funds it has and to be able to plan.” “It cannot simply be at the good will of each of those who want to support it,” he added.
In any case, the minister asked for “complementarity” between donors in order to avoid duplication “between what we already do bilaterally, what we do at the level of the European Union and what can be coordinated at the level of NATO.”
Albares has been in Prague since yesterday to participate in the informal meeting of his NATO counterparts, where he will reiterate his “commitment” to Ukraine, advance in “the preparations for the next NATO Summit in Washington” – in which the leaders will address the coordination of the supply of military equipment and training to Ukraine – and “the importance of the Southern Flank” will be underlined, as declared through the X social network.
