Eduardo González
Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares reiterated on Wednesday, November 26, to his European Union counterparts “Spain’s commitment to a just and lasting peace for Ukraine” and defended the use of frozen Russian assets to help the country recover and a new package of sanctions against Russia for “everything related to actions in the maritime sector.”
Albares explained this in a video released by the Ministry at the end of the extraordinary informal meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council convened by the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Defense Policy, Kakha Kallas, to coordinate the European position regarding a possible peace process.
The meeting, in which the foreign ministers of the member states and the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, participated via videoconference, took place after negotiations last Sunday in Geneva between representatives of the United States, Ukraine, and EU institutions to address a possible peace plan for Ukraine based on the 28-point proposal by US President Donald Trump.
“At the Extraordinary Council on Ukraine, Spain conveyed its commitment to this process toward peace, a just and lasting peace for Ukraine,” which “requires an unconditional and immediate ceasefire and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, which must be able to make all the decisions that a sovereign and democratic state makes,” Albares stated in the video. “Of course, everything related to the European Union, NATO, and European Security must be discussed with us, with the Europeans,” he cautioned.
According to the minister, “Spain is prepared to do everything in its power for peace, for a just and lasting peace, to support the Ukrainian people, and to do everything possible for peace.” “That is why we support the use of frozen assets, reparations loans, and the new sanctions package, number 20, and everything related to actions in the maritime sector,” he added.
At the European Council meeting last October, the leaders of the European Union committed to covering Ukraine’s financial needs between 2026 and 2027. Within this framework, the European Commission presented its proposal to the 27 member states to enable a “reparations loan” using frozen Russian sovereign assets worth €140 billion. This option has generated disagreement among the 27, especially due to the opposition of the Belgian government.
“Europe’s vital interests are at stake in Ukraine, and that is why we must make decisions quickly, including considering moving towards our autonomy and our own sovereignty, which means increasingly placing security in European hands,” Albares concluded in his video.
For her part, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stressed before the European Parliament on Wednesday the need to ensure Ukraine’s financial needs due to “Russia’s lack of genuine intention to engage in peace talks.” Therefore, during the debate on the EU’s position regarding the peace plan proposed by Donald Trump, von der Leyen insisted that support for Ukraine begins with guaranteeing the necessary resources for its defense and economic stability, and indicated that the next step will be the presentation of the legal text to formalize this European support.