Robles announces that the sending of a frigate to the Black Sea as part of a NATO mission is brought forward to next week
Spain is willing to make the contribution that corresponds to it with its allies in the face of Russia’s challenge for a possible invasion of Ukraine. This has been made clear by the Defense Minister, Margarita Robles, who has advanced that the planned shipment of the Blas de Lezo frigate of the Navy within the NATO mission is brought forward to next week, and that, given the possibility of an upcoming air deployment in Bulgaria, Spain could also participate.
Asked about the international situation and the crisis arising from Ukraine’s intention to join NATO, Robles has assured that the shipment of the said frigate will take place “within 3 or 4 days.” The news comes after the Meteoro Maritime Action Ship (BAM) departed this Monday from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria bound for the Black Sea as leader of one of NATO’s permanent missions, in full tension with Russia over the situation from Ukraine.
As Robles stressed, Spain already participates in NATO as a “serious ally” as evidenced by the deployment that Latvia maintains with more than 350 people, in addition to its role in controlling airspace. “Spain participates in all NATO deployments, and in this specific case, the departure of the frigate has been brought forward as agreed,” he added.
bet on diplomacy
Regarding the possibility of sending Spanish fighters to Bulgaria, Robles has not ruled it out within the framework of the Atlantic Alliance, although he has opted for a diplomatic solution: «The position of Spain, as of NATO as a whole, is that the answer be diplomatic and there is a de-escalation ».
Along these lines, he insisted that “the position of all countries is clear”, and that Russia “cannot tell any country what to do”. “NATO is going to protect and defend the sovereignty of any country that wants to enter,” he said before returning to claim that the response is “exclusively diplomatic.”
.