In the opinion of the Spanish minister, Ukraine can be protected “by favoring diplomatic channels” and not sending weapons as other NATO member countries are doing
The Spanish Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, today joined the parade of Western leaders traveling to Kiev to show their support for the Ukrainian authorities in the face of military pressure from Russia. In his appearance before the media after meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmitro Kuleba, Albares was in favor of Ukraine “being able to live in peace with respect for its borders and guaranteeing its sovereignty.”
In the opinion of the Spanish minister, Ukraine can be protected “by favoring diplomatic channels” and not sending weapons as other NATO member countries are doing. Of course, if the case were to come, he warned that “all measures are open.”
“The situation is already tense enough to introduce more tension or create a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy,” Albares said, referring to a hypothetical large-scale conflagration between Russia and Ukraine. In his opinion, “all efforts have to be made to channel the de-escalation and relaxation through dialogue.”
The Spanish foreign minister pointed out that “nobody on this side of Europe is preparing for a war and, therefore, we do not have to give the impression that this is an inevitable scenario because it is not.” To the specific question about whether Spain would be willing to provide weapons to Kiev to face a Russian invasion, Albares insisted that “it is time for diplomacy, not to open scenarios or hypotheses that are not there.”
He defended that the diplomatic route is the one that has all the support within the European Union, but “deterrence” is also contemplated if the dialogue fails. Alluding to the possibility of massive sanctions against Moscow, the minister pointed out that it is a scenario that we do not want, that it is not inevitable but for which we are prepared in a united way.
For his part, Kuleba thanked Spain for its support given the possibility that sanctions against Russia would have to be applied and for the fact that such measures are already outlined. He agreed with his Spanish colleague on the need for dialogue “as the most effective strategy” and tried to reassure him that the situation on the border with Russia “remains tense, but is under control.” Kuleba once again insisted that the current crisis constitutes “a threat, not only to Ukraine, but also to the whole of Europe.”
The Ukrainian minister regretted, however, that “certain measures or sanctions have not been adopted earlier to demonstrate the determination to carry out even more severe actions.” Kuleba explained that, in recent years, “Russia has violated a whole series of norms of International Law” and also provisions related to the Minsk Agreements, signed in 2015 with the aim of ending the armed conflict in Donetsk and Lugansk (Donbass). ).
Albares also had the opportunity today to meet with the Ukrainian president, Volodímir Zelenski, with whom he spoke for an hour, and with the prime minister, Denís Shmyhal. The head of the Spanish Diplomacy is already the fifth foreign minister to visit Kiev so far this week. The German Annalena Baerbock, the Austrian Alexander Schallenberg, the Slovakian Ivan Korcok and the Czech Jan Lipavsky have also done so.
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