Robles announces to the Contact Group that Spain has already trained more than 9,000 Ukrainian soldiers

Eduardo González The Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, participated this Wednesday in the thirty-fourth meeting of the Contact Group for the Defense of Ukraine, where she announced that Spain will deliver artillery ammunition, radars, and unmanned systems throughout 2026 and reported that more than 9,000 Ukrainian military personnel have already been trained on Spanish territory within the framework of the European Union Military Assistance Mission. Robles participated via videoconference in the ministerial meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, better known as the 'Ramstein Format,' convened by the UK Defense Minister, John Healey, and the German Defense Minister, Boris Pistorius. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, and the defense ministers of more than 50 of Ukraine's partner countries also participated. US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth did not participate in the meeting and was represented by Elbridge Colby, Pentagon Secretary for Policy. Healey and Pistorius assumed coordination of this meeting after the United States relinquished its leadership of the 'Ramstein Format.' US sources cited by the newspaper Politico have indicated that Hegseth's repeated absence reflects a shift in the priorities of the US administration and Washington's interest in having Europe assume responsibility for providing military support to Ukraine. The United States continues to provide intelligence to Ukraine and deliver previously committed weapons, but has not approved any new military aid. During the meeting, Fedorov presented an update on the implementation of Ukraine's War Plan to pressure Russia for peace and explained the priority areas of cooperation with partners, such as strengthening air defense, developing the drone system, and improving data and technology sharing. In her remarks, Margarita Robles—who was accompanied by the Secretary General for Defense Policy, Admiral Juan Francisco Martínez Núñez, and the Deputy Director General for Cooperation and Civil Defense of the Ministry of Defense, General Carlos Prada—reported that Spain maintains a consistent, practical support policy adapted to the most urgent needs communicated by the Ukrainian authorities. In this regard, she recalled the recent shipments of equipment and reported on new deliveries planned for 2026, with particular attention to artillery ammunition, radars, and unmanned systems. Robles also reaffirmed the Spanish government's commitment to allocating another one billion euros to bilateral military assistance to Ukraine in 2026 and reported that, within the framework of European defense support instruments, Spain will continue to promote cooperation between the defense industries of both countries, especially in high value-added technological areas. Training and hosting Regarding training, the Minister of Defense highlighted that, this April, Spain will surpass the number of Ukrainian military personnel trained on its territory within the framework of the European Union Military Assistance Mission. Regarding the humanitarian dimension of Spanish support, Robles noted that Spain continues to host families of Ukrainian military personnel in military residences and collaborate on rest and rehabilitation programs for children, initiatives that complement strictly military aid. This past Monday, April 13, Margarita Robles held a videoconference meeting with Mykhailo Fedorov to coordinate military support and adapt aid to the most urgent needs on the ground, just two days before the Ramstein Format meeting and only one day after the electoral defeat of the main rival of Ukrainian interests in the European Union, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. During that meeting, the minister reiterated the same commitments presented this Wednesday to her counterparts in the Contact Group, and the Ukrainian minister expressly thanked Spain for its political and military support, particularly the latest batch of anti-aircraft aid intended for the defense of the civilian population, which included Patriot missiles. At the end of the conversation, the minister reiterated that Spain will stand by Ukraine for as long as necessary and insisted that "everything that is happening in the Middle East cannot make us forget what has been happening in Ukraine for the last four years."

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