Spain will deliver weapons to the Ukrainian resistance

USPA NEWS - The President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, affirmed this Wednesday in Congress that the Russian aggression is an attack on the unity and values of Europe, and advocated strengthening the autonomy of the EU. In an appearance in Parliament to report on the war in Ukraine, Sánchez advanced that Spain will deliver offensive military material to the Ukrainian resistance and that the Government will adopt measures to protect families and the most vulnerable sectors from the impact of the war.

Pedro Sánchez expressed the "pain of the Spanish people" for the loss of human lives in the invasion of Ukraine decreed by the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, an action that he described as a "flagrant violation of international law." At the beginning of his appearance before the plenary session of Congress to report on this matter, the President of the Government also highlighted the commitment to the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and the admiration for the determination with which the Ukrainians are fighting for their freedom and independence.

The president also expressed his solidarity with the Russian people, "who are going to suffer the cost of the war due to the imperialism of their president," and urged the Russian Government to immediately release all those arbitrarily detained for expressing their opposition to an "unjust and unjustified" war.

United and coordinated response from Europe

The invasion of Ukraine -Sánchez argued- constitutes a "brutal attempt" by Putin to stop the construction of the European political space, "based on the defense of values radically opposed to the authoritarianism that he represents," such as freedom, peace, human rights and solidarity. Faced with this "defining crisis", the European Union must respond with unity and forcefulness, Sánchez said: "For this reason, we support the activation of the European Fund for Peace for the delivery of defensive and offensive weapons by the EU to Ukraine." The president recalled that Spain is the fourth donor to that Fund and announced that "it will deliver offensive military material to the Ukrainian resistance." He also stressed that "Spain is a country that loves peace" and said that "today the 'No to the war in Iraq' is the 'No to Putin's war'".

The president reviewed the European reaction to the invasion, from economic aid to Ukraine and sanctions against Putin, his government and the oligarchy that supports him to the ban on Russian companies flying over European airspace or the ban on media broadcasts propaganda of the Russian regime. In addition, he announced that Spain will promote the declaration of Russia as a tax haven in the EU and in the OECD. These sanctions, he assured, will be in place until Putin "ends the invasion and leaves Ukraine, all of Ukraine, and returns to the internationally recognized borders of the Russian Federation."

Defense and humanitarian aid

The President of the Spanish Government also defended the united response to the invasion from the Atlantic Alliance: "Putin has reminded us that NATO, as an alliance of states for their security, is more necessary than ever." Neither NATO nor Spain are going to send troops to Ukraine, but they are reinforcing the eastern flank to ensure the defense of all allies, he recalled. Pedro Sánchez affirmed that Spain's commitment is "effective and real," as demonstrated by the deployment in Latvia, Bulgaria, Turkey and, soon, in Estonia. In addition, he pointed out that Spain is going to increase the contingent in the allied mission in Latvia by 150 troops, which until now had 350 soldiers.

In addition to the joint actions within the framework of the EU and NATO, Spain has sent 20 tons of humanitarian aid and two Air Force planes with personal equipment and defensive material, as well as medical equipment. "I have the firm intention of providing Ukraine with all the help and support that is possible, according to our capabilities," Sánchez said before the plenary session of Congress.

The president also detailed the Government's response to the conflict "from the very beginning," with the activation of the Situation Committee, the meeting of the National Security Council chaired by the King, the contact with all the parliamentary groups and the conversation that he maintained with all the former presidents to gather their international experience.

Pedro Sánchez thanked the support of the political groups, the work of the diplomatic personnel and the State Security Forces and Corps, especially those who participated in the evacuation of more than one hundred compatriots from Ukraine, and the delivery of the missions of the Forces Armed abroad.

Guarantee of energy supply

The position of Spain - the head of the Spanish Executive pointed out - is firm and determined, but it is necessary to be equally clear about the consequences of the measures adopted: "They will have a cost and will require sacrifices." The impact, as Sánchez explained, will not only be reflected in growth, the State Budgets and companies, but also on the economy of families and basic products. "All this inflationary pressure and its derivatives, the economic uncertainty and the significant increase in prices and services more immediate to any need, will have a cause: the unjustifiable war against Ukraine; and a culprit: President Putin," he assured.

The president of the Spanish Government indicated that the most important repercussions will affect the energy markets, but stressed that Spain's dependence on Russian gas and oil is less than that of other European countries, so "security of supply is guaranteed."

To reduce the consequences of the war, the Spanish President proposed to work on two fronts: the European and the national. In the first, he advocated reducing the EU's vulnerabilities, advancing especially in the integration of the common foreign and security policy, and in energy security. Spain, he said, will continue to lead ambitious initiatives in the transformation of the energy system, such as those that seek to address speculation in the CO2 emissions market and prevent the extraordinary rise in the wholesale price of gas from marking the price of all electricity.

In his speech, he also supported responding to the humanitarian emergency of the Ukrainian refugees in a coordinated and responsible manner and, on the other hand, adapting the fiscal rules so that the recovery can be strengthened and the investment needs in the fight against climate change can be met, the digital transition and the strengthening of common security.

In the field of national politics, the president advanced that the Government is already working on a National Plan for Response to the Impact of the War, open to contributions from groups, local and regional governments and social agents. This National Plan will include the promotion of an income pact that provides stability from the perspective of salary costs and business profits; the protection of the most vulnerable families and the most affected sectors, such as tourism and agriculture, and measures to deepen the energy transition.

In addition, the Executive is going to speed up the approval and start-up of the RED mechanism for employment flexibility and stabilization; this instrument, included in the recently approved labor reform, enables companies subjected to temporary or structural crises to adopt measures to reduce working hours and temporarily suspend employment contracts, always linked to retraining and professional transition programmes.

Sánchez also called for removing European funds for recovery from the partisan confrontation and for advancing Spain's strategic autonomy, with investments in sectors such as semiconductors, batteries, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and the production of essential medicines.