The Diplomat
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, said on Monday that Spain “has never turned its back on any truly peace mission”, but warned that it is still “premature” to talk about sending troops to Ukraine because to do so “a fair and lasting peace must be achieved and not a mere temporary ceasefire”.
Spain “has no problem” sending troops abroad, but at this time, in Ukraine “the effort is still primarily political and diplomatic” to ensure a fair and lasting peace and not “a mere temporary ceasefire”, declared Albares during an interview with the programme ‘La mirada crítica’, on Telecinco.
According to the minister, the Spanish Government “has never turned its back on any truly peace mission”, but in Ukraine there is still no peace and furthermore “it is not clear what peace means for some”, because peace cannot be interpreted as a parenthesis “that allows the aggressor to take a break to attack again”, he warned.
Later, in statements to the program ‘Las mañanas’, on Spanish National Radio, Albares said that it is still “premature to talk” about sending troops to Ukraine. “We have Spanish troops deployed in different scenarios in favor of peace, but I think that at this time the effort is still political and diplomatic,” because “we must achieve a fair and lasting peace and not a mere temporary ceasefire,” he insisted.