Eduardo González
Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares yesterday condemned the “massive missile attacks” carried out in recent days by Russia against several Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv and Kharkov, at the same time that the EU Council has increased the list of Russian individuals and entities sanctioned because of the war.
“We condemn the massive missile attacks by Russia against Ukrainian cities, which have caused dozens of casualties,” denounced Albares through his official account on the social network X. According to Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski, the Russian Armed Forces have fired more than half a thousand missiles and drones against the country in the last five days. “Spain will continue to support Ukraine in the defense of its sovereignty and territorial integrity and contribute to the protection of its civilian population,” he concluded.
For his part, the EU High Representative for Foreign Policy and Security, Josep Borrell, declared yesterday in Lisbon that “the rain of missiles that has fallen on Ukrainian cities, shelling clearly civilian targets”, is “a way of terrorizing the Ukrainian population with intensity, probably the greatest that has been seen since the war began”. “That is not befitting someone who wants to end the war, but rather someone who wants to demonstrate his strength and continue to exert military pressure,” he added.
On January 1, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba thanked his “colleague and friend, José Manuel Albares, and the outgoing Spanish Presidency of the EU for the remarkable work made in the past year.” “The Spanish EU Presidency will go down in history as the story of Spain’s steadfast leadership and success in defending a free, united and strong Europe,” he added. In response to this message, Albares wrote on X that “Spain will remain committed to Ukraine’s freedom, peace, sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Separately, the EU Council yesterday introduced new additional restrictive measures against Russia, specifically against the world’s largest diamond mining company, PJSC Alrosa, and its CEO Pavel Alekseevich Marinychev.
According to the Council, PJSC Alrosa accounts for more than 90% of all Russian diamond production. This decision complements the twelfth sanctions package adopted last December 18, 2023, which finally included a ban on the import of diamonds, measures to prevent circumvention of sanctions and the blacklisting of 29 individuals, including some non-Russians.
With this package, the EU established a ban on the direct or indirect import, purchase or transfer of diamonds from Russia. This ban applies to diamonds originating in Russia, diamonds exported from Russia, diamonds in transit through Russia and Russian diamonds when processed in third countries.
As the Council itself points out, this is an effort by the G7 to develop an internationally coordinated diamond ban aimed at depriving Russia of this important source of revenue.
The restrictive measures already apply to 1,950 individuals and entities that undermine or threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. Those included in the list are subject to an asset freeze.In addition, EU citizens and companies are prohibited from making funds available to them. Natural persons are also prohibited from entering or transiting through the territories of the EU.
