Washington, May 10 (EFE).- The Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Luis Albares, promised the United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, the “total” support of Spain for Ukraine for as long as necessary.
In a joint press conference after meeting in Washington, both foreign officials were questioned about the alleged lukewarmness of some southern European countries when it came to supporting the Kiev government.
“I wanted to correct that misperception of our support for Ukraine, which is total from day one and will continue as long as necessary,” replied the Spanish minister.
Albares recalled that Spain condemned “from the first minute” the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and that since then it has supported the ten packages of European Union sanctions against Russia.
It has also backed the International Criminal Court’s investigations into war crimes by Russian troops and sent its forensic staff to collect evidence on the ground, it said.
In addition, Ukraine has been the beneficiary of the largest humanitarian aid package that Spain has ever sent to a single country, and has received weapons from the Spanish Army such as Leopard tanks and anti-aircraft batteries.
Albares also highlighted the fact that Spain has welcomed 170,000 Ukrainian refugees with a “very particular” immigration status and stated that his government is willing to continue hosting more people if “the humanitarian catastrophe continues.”
Likewise, the minister stressed that the firm aid to Ukraine does not imply that Spain forgets “the needs” of its partners in Latin America and Africa, to whom it also promised to continue helping.
For his part, Blinken said that he does not share “the premise” that Madrid has not sufficiently supported Kiev, since in his opinion “Spain has been unwavering in supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
“He has made it very clear not only through what he says, but also through what he does,” said the head of US diplomacy.
Blinken accused Russia of using the food crisis caused by the war as a weapon, which especially affects the countries of the so-called “global south”, but stressed that Spain, the United States and other nations are working to stop the rise in food prices. .
“We are deeply grateful for Spain’s commitment and leadership in Ukraine, but we are also together and very focused on a wide range of issues that concern people around the world,” said the secretary.
