Margarita Robles reaffirms Spain's commitment and the unity of the EU and NATO on the second anniversary of the war in Ukraine

The Minister for Defence, Margarita Robles, during her speech

In her speech at the round table discussion 'Two years after the invasion of Ukraine, armies facing an expanded war', organised by the Círculo de Bellas Artes (CBA) and the magazine El Grand Continent, Minister Robles stressed that "all countries are aware that reserves are diminishing at the moment".

For this reason, the Minister for Defence declared that work is currently being done "along the lines of coalitions and joint acquisitions of material", at the same time as Spain is putting the Spanish and Ukrainian defence industries in contact with each other, which are beginning to take control of their own production.

Furthermore, Robles stated that "we cannot lower our guard now" because Ukraine is defending, in addition to its own existence, "democratic values and the integrity of Europe", and expressed her concern over the risk of a Russian threat, which, she stressed, "uses a very powerful weapon; disinformation".

This is why investment in defence and industrial policies is so important, said Robles, who insisted on stressing that "the situation in the world is very complicated at the moment", referring also to the situation in the Middle East, Africa and the Sahel.

With regard to the shipment of material, the head of defence said that "it is not a problem of quantity, but of quality and coordination", regretting that some countries have sent old material.

"The 10 Leopards that Spain sent are the ones that are working, as well as other types of vehicles, such as the TOAs", said Robles, who also recalled the importance of the humanitarian aid provided by Spain (such as sending field hospitals or treating the wounded in Spanish military hospitals), as well as the training of Ukrainian combatants, for example in Toledo, where next Saturday an event will be held to pay tribute to the Ukrainian soldiers who have died.

The debate, moderated by Andrea Rizzi, Global Affairs correspondent for El País, also featured Luis Furnells, executive president of the OESIA group, and Alicia Alamillos, head of International for El Confidencial.

Non official translation