President Zelensky has today made his fourth visit to Spain since the start of Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine. This trip, which comes on the eve of a key European Council meeting in Brussels, has served to reaffirm Spain’s sustained support for Ukraine in the political, financial, humanitarian and military spheres.
Against a backdrop marked by Russia’s indiscriminate attacks on critical energy infrastructure and residential areas, and the proliferation of international crises, Minister Albares has reiterated that Ukraine can continue to count on Spain’s firm support in defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity, in its efforts to achieve a just and lasting peace that guarantees its security and that of Europe, and in its process of accession to the European Union.
During the visit, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation signed two agreements with Ukraine. The first, on technical and financial cooperation, contributes to Ukraine’s institutional stability and its economic and social reconstruction, providing a stable legal framework to channel technical assistance, mobilise resources and facilitate the participation of Spanish companies.
For its part, the cooperation agreement between diplomatic academies aims, through the Spanish Diplomatic School, to institutionalise cooperation and align training and capacity-building efforts, whilst also enabling the sharing of experiences regarding the role of diplomacy in times of war. This agreement responds to the need to contribute to the political reconstruction of Ukraine, not only in material terms, but also in the consolidation of a professional, modern foreign service that is fully integrated into European diplomatic networks, with particular attention to relations with the Southern Neighbourhood, Latin America and the Caribbean, within the framework of Ukraine’s EU accession process.
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