The Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, met today at the Viana Palace with the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Andrii Yermak. At the meeting, marked by the intensification of Russian attacks on energy infrastructure and hybrid provocations against European countries, Albares reiterated Spain's unequivocal support for Ukraine for as long as necessary.
Given the seriousness of the situation on the ground and the unacceptable indiscriminate attacks on critical energy infrastructure, Minister Albares reiterated that ‘now more than ever Spain will continue to support Ukraine,’ adding that ‘strengthening it in all areas is a priority for our country, because what we are defending in Ukraine are European values, international law and our democracy’.
Critical infrastructure
Energy sufficiency was a key point of the meeting, as continuous Russian attacks and bombings have caused the loss of 70% of Ukraine's electricity generation capacity, destroying or damaging generation and transmission infrastructures, affecting energy, water, heating and other basic services. The consequences include widespread power cuts, especially in winter. For this reason, the AECID recently provided 70 generators to Ukraine.
Taking a longer-term view, Spain has already begun to provide aid for the reconstruction of the country under the ‘build back better’ approach. Energy, together with water, will be one of Spain's priorities for action in 2026.
Support in figures
In the military sphere, Spain will continue to provide equipment and training – more than 8,000 soldiers have been trained in our country to date. And, in the political sphere, support is unequivocal, both through the EU and NATO, and through our security agreements or by exerting economic pressure through new packages of sanctions against Russia.
With regard to bilateral support, in 2024 Spain disbursed its pledged contribution of €1 billion for military support, and another €1 billion is planned for 2025, according to the agreement signed by President Sánchez and President Zelensky in May 2024 in Madrid. In addition, we have contributed more than €110 million in humanitarian aid and have committed nearly €600 million to the reconstruction of Ukraine, mainly in financial aid, but also in various projects.
We have also taken in more than 250,000 Ukrainians up to June 2025, who currently enjoy temporary protection in our country, with Spain being the fourth country with the largest Ukrainian diaspora under this regime within the European Union. And our schools, colleges and universities are currently teaching more than 40,000 Ukrainian children.
Russian disinformation
At the meeting, Albares signed an agreement that will lead the two countries to combat Russian disinformation in Latin America through joint cooperation mechanisms that will help to curb such practices. To this end, seminars and training courses will be established to identify and combat these practices through specific methodologies, and content will be produced in Spanish to help counteract this narrative.
Albares stressed to Yermak the need for unity and close coordination within the EU as a principle that should guide EU actions in the coming months. In this regard, Spain plays an active role within the European Union in supporting Ukraine politically, financially and militarily, as well as through humanitarian aid.
The necessary security guarantees for Ukraine, Spain's commitment to the reconstruction of the country, and the necessary accountability, because there can be no peace without justice, were other issues discussed at the meeting.
For images of the event, click here.
-NON OFFICIAL TRANSLATION-