Hours after the Ukrainian ambassador made Spain ugly about the slow pace in sending weapons, the Ministry of Defense has announced that it will send a new batch of military material. It includes armored vehicles, ammunition and missilesin addition to fuel and clothing and winter equipment, according to a press release from the department led by Margarita Robles.
Defense assures that in these six months of war, Spain “has not stopped sending material for legitimate defense of the Ukrainian people”, although and for security reasons, “the details have not been specified”. This contradicts what was assured on Wednesday morning by the Ukrainian ambassador Serhii Pohoreltsev, who has stated that Spain has not sent any war material since the beginning of May, four months ago.
A sober flag-raising ceremony was held today at the Ukrainian embassy in Madrid to commemorate the 31st anniversary of independence from the USSR. Later, Pohoreltsev asked the press that Spain send, among other things, 155-millimeter howitzers and 120-millimeter mortars of national manufacture. “We have sent the list of needs several times” to the Spanish Government, he said. “We appreciate what was sent, but we need more and faster & rdquor ;.
During this month of August, the Ministry of Defense and the Spanish Armed Forces have prepared, according to official sources, material to be immediately made available to the Ukrainian authorities, who will determine the time of delivery. Specifically, says the press release, it will be sent:
field artillery: “On August 17, the Ukrainian authorities were informed that after a meticulous consolidation of components, they already had at their disposal in a Spanish base and ready for delivery more than 1,000 complete shots of long-range ammunition, prepared in 75 pallets of one cubic meter,” says the Ministry of Defense. Given the weight and characteristics of the large-caliber ammunition, the offer of an allied country -which Defense does not need- to carry out the air transport to the destination indicated by the Ukrainian authorities has been accepted. Said transport is expected to take place at the beginning of September, for which the national overflight authorization has also been coordinated.
Gas: The acquisition and delivery to Ukraine of 1,000 tons of diesel oil has been authorized for an approximate amount of 2.5 million euros.
armored vehicles: After the joint inspection by Ukrainian military representatives and the Army, a set of TOA APC M-113 vehicles in good working order have been made available to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, pending operational readiness after commissioning. to industrial point.
point defense missile system: A complete point anti-aircraft defense battery and its missiles have been prepared at a Spanish base, a battery that was fully operational. In addition, Ukraine has been offered to conduct training in the operation and maintenance of the battery.
Winter clothing and equipment: In addition to the aforementioned weapons, combat material and training, in response to an urgent request from the government of Volodimir Zelenski before the coming winter, an important load of uniforms and complementary equipment for cold climates has been prepared. The shipment is made up of some 30,000 cold weather campaign uniforms, 15,600 jackets, 15,000 outdoor suits and several thousand additional garments and coats. This shipment of more than 1,600 pallets “represents a major challenge for its transport and distribution before winter, which Spain will have ready to send in September,” concludes the Defense note.
no tanks
Defense Minister Margarita Robles announced on Tuesday that the Ukrainian government wants to buy modern battle tanks from Spain and other EU countries, to replace its outdated tanks that are far from NATO standards. Pohoreltsev responded this Wednesday that “the ideal would be to get them for free& rdquor ;, as a donation, although “there are other ways to obtain them, for example the purchase & rdquor ;, which has not been ruled out.
The shipment of advanced tanks of western billing is a highly controversial matter. Until now, only Soviet-made ones have been shipped, mostly from countries of the former USSR. There are misgivings in the European chancelleries that the sending of modern vehicles to the Ukrainian battlefield would be seen by Moscow as an escalation of Western intervention in the conflict.
Visa ban for Russians
He is in permanent contact with Albares and has described him as “a very good friend” and aware of the Ukrainian cause. He has asked him, through a verbal note, to suspend the granting of visas to Russian citizens, something to which Foreign Affairs has not yet responded.
According to Serhii Pohoreltsev, Russian citizens mostly support the war, and therefore suspend entry visas in countries like Spain “it would be a good demonstration of how the civilized world reacts” to Putin’s war and a message for his citizens. For this reason, it expects an affirmative response from the “note verbale” that he has sent to the Spanish Foreign Ministry requesting that the granting of these visas be suspended.
The department led by José Manuel Albares has not responded. For the time being, Spain, following the line of Brussels, has stopped granting visas to people included in the list of those sanctioned by the European Union, to officials of the Government of Vladimir Putin or people with diplomatic passports, judges or parliamentarians, among other groups. The “golden visas” were also canceled. (normally granted to wealthy citizens who make investments or buy houses), but not tourist ones.
Related news
The Government of Finland has decided to reduce the issuance of visas to Russians by 90% compared to current levels as of September. The leaders of Latvia and Estonia are also calling for tougher travel restrictions on Russians, including a ban on tourist visas. Germany or France, among others, oppose a total veto.
The European Commission calls for coordination between the 27. The issue will be addressed at the meeting that the EU foreign ministers will hold on August 30 and 31 in Prague.