The Diplomat
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, arrived this morning in Kiev to meet with the Ukrainian President, Volodimir Zelenski, and to convey to him “the unequivocal and unequivocal commitment of the European Union and Spain to peace” after the Russian invasion. The Prime Minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen, is traveling with Sánchez. At the end of the meeting, the three leaders will give a joint appearance before the media.
Yesterday, Pedro Sánchez visited the Center for Attention, Reception and Referral of Ukrainian Refugees at the Trade Fair and Congress Center of Malaga, accompanied by the Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, José Luis Escrivá. In statements to the press, the President of the Government assured that the aim of his visit to Kiev was to convey to Zelenski “the resounding, unequivocal commitment of the European Union, but without doubt of the Government of Spain, of Spanish society and of all its institutions to peace”. In the meantime, he continued, Spain will continue to “deploy humanitarian and military aid” to help Ukraine to face this “cruel and unjust war”.
During his visit to the Malaga center, Pedro Sanchez stated that around 134,000 Ukrainians have arrived in Spain since the beginning of the war, of which around 64,000 have already received temporary protection authorization. “Around 72% of the people arriving from Ukraine are women and 37% are under 18 years of age,” he specified. “We want that the time these people are among us they feel like in their homeland, in a country that opens its arms to materialize that solidarity with those who suffer the consequences of war,” he added. The Malaga refugee center, which has been in operation since April 6, when it joined the reception and protection work already being carried out by the centers in Madrid, Barcelona and Alicante, will soon be expanded with an additional module.
“Spain responds to the request of the Government of Ukraine and continues to attend to urgent and sensitive evacuations,” Sanchez also announced through his Twitter account. “Tonight 118 vulnerable Ukrainian people, requiring specialized care, are arriving in our country on a flight chartered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” he added.
For her part, the president of the Congress of Deputies, Meritxell Batet, visited yesterday the refugee aid centers on the border of Poland with Ukraine to learn about the situation of people who have fled the war after the Russian invasion. Specifically, the president of the Lower House visited the Dorohusk border post, the Lwowska refugee reception point, and the Ptak humanitarian aid center in Nadarzyn. Since the beginning of the war, more than 4.5 million people, mostly women and children, have fled Ukraine. Of these, 2.6 million have moved to Poland. Through her Twitter account, Batet thanked the “effort” of Poland, “the first destination of people fleeing the war in Ukraine on foot, by car, bus or train.” “All EU countries we feel border with Ukraine. Maintaining this closeness and unity is the only way to stop this unjust war,” she added.
