Granada, in southern Spain, hosts the summit of the European Political Community, which brings together leaders from the continent and seeks to discuss issues of regional peace and stability. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been one of the protagonists of the war being fought in his country, one of the great concerns of the bloc. The conflict in Nagorno Karabakh, which has escalated in recent days, is also key to the meeting.
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Some 50 European leaders meet in Granada, Spain, to emphasize the bloc’s support for Ukraine, at a time when aid seems to be faltering in some latitudes and the conflict, on both the Russian and Ukrainian sides, is at a standstill.
President Volodymyr Zelensky himself was one of the first leaders to arrive at the European Community summit, which was formed a year ago after the large-scale invasion of Ukraine.
“Safeguarding European unity” was the invitation that Zelensky made in his attempt to strengthen his alliance with the countries of the continent and in the face of fear that aid from the United States would be reduced, after he eliminated economic aid for Ukraine from his temporary budget law on a partisan divide in Washington.
Although Zelensky was emphatic in thanking the support of the United States, he asked for more anti-aircraft batteries to resist the coming winter and said that they are not afraid of Russia.
The Ukrainian president, who has been leading the conflict for more than a year and a half, blamed Russia for being behind a disinformation and fake news strategy to “undermine the European Union.”
Conspicuous by their absence were the presidents of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and of Azerbaijan, Ilham Alyiev, two of the leaders closest to the Kremlin. Vikto Orbán, president of Hungary, also did not attend.
This is Zelensky’s first visit to Spain since the war began in February 2022, while he advances his dialogue strategy for Ukraine to become a member country of the European Union.
The President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, said that his country is one of those that most supports the expansion of the bloc and is expected to hold several meetings with different heads of state, where it is also expected to discuss issues of migration and strategic security.
An attack on Ukraine in the middle of the summit
At least 51 people died in a town in Kharkiv province as a result of a Russian attack, according to Ukrainian authorities.
President Zelensky condemned this new attack against civilians from Spain and called on his allies, demonstrating the difficult situation that exists on the battlefield.
“A clearly brutal crime by Russia, a missile attack against a food store, a completely deliberate act of terrorism,” added the Ukrainian president.
Nagorno Karabakh, the other concern in Granada
The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed region of Nagorno Karabakh, which has intensified in recent weeks in the South Caucasus region, took on importance in Grenada.
The Ukrainian president met with the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinian, within the framework of the summit, where they spoke about the difficult security situation in the region.
A conversation carried out just a few days after Azerbaijan attacked the enclave of Nagorno Karabakh and forced the surrender of the troops of the independence enclave, an action that has caused the protest of the Armenian ethnic group, which mostly inhabited this region.
The Government of Armenia responded on October 3 with the approval by Parliament to join the International Criminal Court, which would force it to capture Vladimir Putin if he decided to visit Armenian territory due to the arrest warrant issued against him. by the international judicial court.
Russia was one of Armenia’s main allies, but their relations have been deteriorating in recent years due to the lack of help from Moscow regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave.
The Presidency of Azerbaijan said it was prepared to participate in a trilateral meeting with the EU and Armenia in Brussels to reach agreements on the historically disputed area.
He also thanked Spain for its intention to contribute to the dialogue to reach agreements and said that the absence of the Azerbaijani president was due to France’s “biased” position towards the conflict.
During the last week, the French Foreign Minister visited Armenia and blamed Azerbaijan for committing “crimes” in Nagorno Karabakh, in addition to authorizing the signing of an arms agreement with Armenia.
With EFE and local media
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