The Diplomat
The Minister of Defence, Margarita Robles, held yesterday a videoconference conversation with the Secretary of Defense of the United States, Lloyd Austin, to prepare the next ministerial meeting of the Defence Contact Group for Ukraine and to discuss the recent visit to Madrid of the Ukrainian Minister of Defense, Oleksii Reznikov.
According to the Defence Ministry, the meeting was requested last Thursday by the Pentagon chief with the aim of jointly preparing the Contact Group meeting, to be held in Ramstein (Germany) on Friday, April 21, where almost 50 countries will discuss the war situation and coordinate support to the Ukrainian Armed Forces for defense against Russia.
During the meeting, held at the Ministry’s headquarters and in which the Minister was accompanied by the Secretary General for Defence Policy, Admiral (R) Juan Francisco Martínez Núñez, Robles and Austin exchanged information about the current situation on the ground and coordinated the positions of both countries with a view to the Ramstein meeting.
In that context, Minister Robles briefed her U.S. counterpart on the priority support needs expressed by the Ukrainian Defence Minister during his visit to Madrid last Wednesday, and the two ministers exchanged views on how best to address those needs. “Austin warmly appreciated Spain’s continued commitment to Ukraine and its agility in responding to that country’s priority requirements,” the Ministry continued.
During his official visit to Madrid, Reznikov explained to the Spanish delegation with which he met – headed by Robles and also attended by the Chief of Defense Staff (JEMAD), Admiral General Teodoro López Calderón, and Admiral Juan Francisco Martínez Núñez himself – that the top priorities for his country are anti-aircraft defense and artillery, for which reason he asked Spain to supply naval aid, especially against mines, and more ammunition for artillery, specifically of 155 and 105 calibers. “For us, anti-aircraft systems are the number one priority,” the Ukrainian minister continued.
For her part, Robles assured Reznikov that Spain will continue with the training work, since “more than a thousand Ukrainian military have been and are being trained here in Spain”, and reiterated that, “in the next few days” the shipment by sea of six Leopard 2A4 battle tanks is planned after having undergone a repair process in Alcalá de Guadaira, as well as 20 TOA vehicles. These tanks will be complemented by another four Leopard 2A4 tanks that will be sent to Ukraine on a date yet to be determined. Robles has insisted at all times that “there is no possibility of sending Spanish soldiers to Ukrainian territory” and that neither will fighter planes be sent, as other countries are already doing.
