<h6><strong>Eduardo González</strong></h6> <h4><strong>Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares condemned on Tuesday, November 25, the latest Russian airstrikes against civilian targets and energy infrastructure in Ukraine, which have left at least a dozen dead.</strong></h4> “I condemn the new Russian airstrikes against civilian targets and energy infrastructure in Ukraine, which caused more deaths and destruction last night in Kyiv and other areas of the country,” the minister wrote on social media. “Spain continues to stand with the people and government of Ukraine, and with their right to live in peace and security. We are working with the Ukrainian people for a just and lasting peace that respects their sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he added. A Russian attack with missiles and drones against residential areas of Kyiv last night left at least six dead and numerous wounded, according to Ukrainian authorities. According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy, the main target of the Russian attack was energy infrastructure, which has seen a significant decrease in its generation and gas processing capacity due to repeated bombings this autumn. In addition, attacks against ports and power plants in the Odesa region have also been reported, as well as the firing of 162 drones at civilian infrastructure in the Ukrainian regions of Chernihiv (north), Kharkiv (northeast), and Dnipropetrovsk (east-central), according to the Ukrainian Air Force. In Kharkiv, four civilians were killed: three women aged 27, 41, and 69, and a 55-year-old man. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that four of these drones violated the airspace of allied countries such as Moldova and Romania and has demanded the deployment of more weapons and anti-aircraft systems to prevent future attacks. <strong>In the midst of peace plan</strong> These attacks, which according to the Ukrainians were directed against energy infrastructure, occurred in the midst of negotiations on the peace plan proposed by the United States. On Monday night, Albares told CNN that “Spain wants a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, that respects its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” and warned that “The role of Europe in its own security must also be acknowledge, especially when it comes to decisions within the EU and NATO.” Separately, the minister spoke last night with his Ukrainian counterpart, Andriy Sybiha, about the process that began after Sunday’s meeting in Geneva between US and Ukrainian representatives to discuss the new version of President Donald Trump’s controversial 28-point peace plan to end the war. “Spain supports the Ukrainian people and President Zelensky,” Albares told Sybiha, as he himself wrote on social media. “We want a just and lasting peace. European security and EU and NATO decisions are priorities for Europeans,” he added. “I spoke to José Manuel Albares to discuss the outcomes of the recent negotiations in Geneva and next steps in our peace efforts,” the Ukrainian minister wrote. “I emphasised the importance of further increasing pressure on the aggressor, including sanctions and enabling the full use of frozen Russian assets—we need this decision as soon as posible,” he explained. “I also thanked my colleague for the recent successful visit (to Spain) of President Zelenskyy and Spain’s consistent support for Ukraine,” he concluded. For his part, the former EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and former Spanish Foreign Minister, Josep Borrell, warned via social media that “Trump’s plan to end the war in Ukraine exposes the failure of the EU’s appeasement strategy.” “Giving in to his demands on military spending, tariffs, digital deregulation, multinational taxation, and energy supplies has achieved nothing,” he lamented. “With the 28-point plan to end the war in Ukraine, Trump’s United States can no longer be considered an ally of Europe, which is not even consulted on matters affecting its own security. Europe must acknowledge this shift in U.S. policy and respond accordingly,” he concluded.
