Defense Minister Margarita Robles this Tuesday defended Spain’s “global support” for Ukraine, but avoided a debate on the delivery of fighters to Kiev, recalling that the armed forces have the F-16 requested by the President Fighters are not planes. Ukrainian, Volodymyr Zelensky.
In statements in Brussels ahead of the defense ministers’ meeting, Robles has assured that Spain has shown “unshakable support” for Ukraine and has already delivered six of the ten dedicated battle tanks to its army, a material that Kiev’s counter-offensive is considered crucial. Preparing to recover areas of the Donbass region.
In any case, with regard to the debate on fighter jets, once the United States has given the go-ahead to export these resources to the Ukrainian military, Robles has indicated that Spain may have the F- 16 is not and cannot at this time provide this assistance. ,
“Full and total support within our availability to Ukraine and on the issue of fighters, solidarity with other countries, but especially Spain that does not have the F-16,” he stressed, referring to Ukraine’s training of pilots. Since refusing to Spain has F. -18s and Eurofighters and each fighter “has its own maneuverability.”
Robles, on the other hand, has defended Spain’s “global support” in the context of the war, emphasizing training work on Spanish soil and materials and ammunition sent to Ukraine. “Spain is going to contribute according to its availability and what it has, but we also think that the training work and the work with the wounded and the training of military medics are also very important,” he assured.
When asked whether the move to strengthen the Ukrainian air force meant an escalation of the conflict, the defense minister insisted that “the only person” responsible for the war in Ukraine is Russian President Vladimir Putin, while Kiev was accused of aggression. defends itself against. “The one who is escalating the war is Putin when he continues to attack the civilian population every day,” he insisted.
