<h6><strong>The Diplomat</strong></h6> <h4><strong>Defense Minister Margarita Robles received her Ukrainian counterpart, Rustem Umerov, in Madrid this Friday. She assured him that Spain will continue to support his country "beyond a possible ceasefire."</strong></h4> At the meeting, held at the headquarters of the Ministry of Defense, Robles confirmed that Spain will continue to train Ukrainian combatants within the framework of the EU Military Assistance Operation in Ukraine (EUMAM UA), through which it has already participated in the training of more than 7,000 soldiers. "Since the beginning of Putin's terrible and cruel invasion of Ukraine, Spain has been providing steadfast support to Ukraine. We will continue to support you in your peace process to achieve a just and lasting peace," the Spanish Defense Minister stated to her counterpart. The minister assured that Spain's collaboration will extend "beyond a possible ceasefire." According to a press release from the Ministry of Defense, Spain will continue sending supplies and humanitarian aid and participating in the treatment of wounded combatants, "while working on a scenario that contemplates achieving peace." Specifically, both ministers signed an agreement to continue the training and instruction that Spain has been providing to the personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to Robles, her counterpart conveyed to her that the Ukrainian government is firmly committed to reaching a ceasefire and hopeful that Russia's decision will be positive following the recent meeting between Ukrainian authorities and a US delegation in Saudi Arabia, in which both sides requested a thirty-day truce from Moscow. For his part, according to the Ministry of Defense, Umerov thanked Spain for its support, describing it as "a reliable partner in these dark times for our country." “Spain is a tremendous supporter of ours and contributes to the security of Ukraine and the security of Europe,” he stated. During their visit to Spain, the Ukrainian delegation also plans to meet with representatives of the Spanish security and defense industries, which provide equipment and materials to Ukraine as part of the bilateral military assistance package committed by Spain and which, according to Robles, can play a “crucial role” in achieving peace.
