The Minister for Defence, Margarita Robles, and the US Secretary of Defence, Lloyd Austin, held a conference call today to promote and coordinate the next steps in military support for Ukraine.
Secretary Austin began by acknowledging the agility, quality and breadth of Spanish military assistance to Ukraine, also valuing our humanitarian and training support. It is a set of support measures that Spain pledges to maintain and strengthen as much as possible, not only for the duration of the Russian invasion but also beyond, to help ensure the future reconstruction of the Ukrainian Armed and Security Forces.
The two ministers then exchanged information and assessments of the current situation on the ground, and discussed the most needed weapons and ammunition systems, given the urgency of further shipments of equipment.
Last, Austin and Robles coordinated their approaches and positions with a view to the next ministerial meeting of the Ukrainian Defence Contact Group, UDCG, to be held in Ramstein (Germany) on Tuesday 19 March.
The minister also received today a group of relatives of Ukrainian soldiers, who handed her a letter signed by the Ukrainian Minister for Defence, Rustem Umerov, in which he thanked Spain for the support the country is receiving.
Non official translation
The Minister for Defence, Margarita Robles, walks through the gardens of Moncloa Palace (Pool Moncloa/José Manuel Álvarez)