Secretary of Defence, Daisy Roblesreiterated its “unreserved” support from the Ukrainian city of Odessa this Thursday Ukraine and Spain’s “commitment”NATO with this country in the face of aggression from the European Union (EU) and Russia.
“The main purpose of my visit is to signal Spain’s commitment.“It is the commitment of all EU and NATO countries to Ukraine and to the Ukrainian people,” Robles said in a joint meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, Oleksii Reznikov.
Robles, who came to Odessa by road from neighboring Moldova, said: “Ukraine not only protects its sovereignty and territorial integrity, but also the whole of Europe, the civilized world and democratic values.”
The Minister stressed that the Spanish Government is constantly coordinating its position with NATO and the EU, and in this context It supports the struggle for Ukraine’s territorial integrity “without reservation”.
Regarding Ukraine’s demand for more air defense systems to defend cities such as Odessa from Russian missile attacks, Robles stated that the Government is “absolutely aware” that these are a “priority” for Turkey. Kyiv at the moment.
Asking about this, Robles said, “We will do our best to provide the relevant systems based on our stock, but the delivery of these systems must be confidential and comply with the relevant protocols.” “maximum common sense and maximal discretion”.
Asked about the position of the Ibero-American countries, Robles explained that everyone understands that the “only culprit” of the “brutal and incomprehensible” war in the 21st century is Russian President Vladimir Putin.
No country can remain indifferent to this fact.He affirmed and pointed out that the countries of the Ibero-American community should support Ukraine in different ways, as this contributes to “world peace”.
Oleksii Reznikov thanked Robles for providing a new military aid package sent by Spain to Spain. “Increase the capabilities” of the Ukrainian Armyalthough he does not want to go into details about its content.
“Some items cannot be explained for security reasons. We will be able to provide more details once the Ukrainian armed forces start using them.” He claimed.
Reznikov also emphasized that Spain was the “first” response to requests for air defense systems after the wave of Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure, and suggested that Kiev “soon” will receive the Hawk systems promised by the “friends of Spain”.
During his visit to the port city, Robles and Reznikov visited wounded Ukrainian soldiers in an encounter he said was “personally important” to him and said he was “inspired” by the “courage and strength” of the Ukrainian people.
He also visited the monument of the Spanish-born officer José de Ribas, the founder of Odessa, and presented flowers in memory of the war victims.