Pedro Sánchez announces a National Plan to respond to the economic and social impact of the invasion of Ukraine

Lower House of Parliament, Madrid

Pedro Sánchez has expressed the "pain of the Spanish people" at the loss of human lives in the invasion of Ukraine decreed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, an action he has described as a "flagrant violation of international legality". At the beginning of his appearance before the plenary session in the Lower House of Parliament to report on this matter, the president of the Government of Spain also stressed his commitment to Ukraine's national sovereignty and territorial integrity and his 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 will suffer the cost of the war because of the imperialism of their president", and urged the Russian executive to immediately release all those arbitrarily detained for expressing their opposition to an "unjust and unjustified" war.

Europe's united and coordinated response

The invasion of Ukraine, Sánchez argued, is a "brutal attempt" by Putin to halt the construction of the European political space, "founded on the defence of values radically opposed to the authoritarianism he represents", such as freedom, peace, human rights and solidarity.

In the face of this "defining crisis", the European Union must respond with unity and forcefulness: "That is why we support the activation of the European Peace Fund for the delivery of defensive and offensive weapons by the EU to Ukraine. The president recalled that Spain is the fourth largest donor to the Fund and announced that "it will deliver offensive military equipment to the Ukrainian resistance". He also stressed that "Spain is a peace-loving country" and that "today the 'No to the Iraq war' is the 'No to Putin's war'".

The president reviewed the European response, 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 the airspace and the ban on broadcasts by the Russian regime's propaganda media. He also announced that Spain will promote the declaration of Russia as a tax haven in the EU and the OECD.

These sanctions will remain in place until Putin "ends the invasion and leaves Ukraine, all of Ukraine, and returns to the internationally recognised borders of the Russian Federation", he said.

Defence and humanitarian aid

CongresoThe head of the Executive has also defended the united response of the Atlantic Alliance to the invasion: "Putin has reminded us that NATO, as an alliance of states for their security, is more necessary than ever".

Neither NATO nor Spain is sending troops to Ukraine, but they are reinforcing the eastern flank to ensure the defence of all allies. Pedro Sánchez affirmed that Spain's commitment is "effective and real", as demonstrated by the deployment in Latvia, Bulgaria, Turkey and, soon, Estonia. He also pointed out that Spain is going to increase its contingent in the allied mission in Latvia by 150 troops, which until now has had 350 soldiers.

In addition to joint EU and NATO actions, Spain has sent 20 tonnes of humanitarian aid and two air force planes with personal and defence equipment, as well as medical equipment. "It is my firm intention to provide Ukraine with as much help and support as possible, according to our capabilities," he told the plenary session of Congress.

Thanks to diplomatic staff and missions abroad

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

Pedro Sánchez thanked the political groups for their support, the work of the diplomatic personnel and the State Law Enforcement Forces and Agencies, especially those who participated in the evacuation of more than one hundred compatriots from Ukraine, and the commitment of the Armed Forces missions abroad.

Guarantee of energy supply

Spain's position is firm and resolute, but it is equally necessary to be clear about the consequences of the measures adopted: "They will come at a cost and will require sacrifices".

CongresoThe impact, Sánchez explained, will not only be reflected in growth, 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 the prices and services most immediate to any need, will have one cause: the unjustifiable war against Ukraine; and one culprit: President Putin", he assured.

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

More European integration and care for refugees

To reduce the consequences of the war, the head of the Executive has proposed working on two fronts: European and national.

In the first, he advocated reducing the EU's vulnerabilities, particularly by making progress on the integration of the common foreign and security policy and on energy security. Spain, he said, will continue to lead ambitious initiatives in the transformation of the energy system, such as those that seek to tackle speculation in the CO2 emissions market and prevent the extraordinary rise in the wholesale price of gas from setting the price of all electricity.

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

National War Impact Response Plan

In national policy, the president advanced that the Government is already working on a "National War Impact Response Plan", open to contributions from the groups, local and regional governments and social agents.

CongresoThis National Plan will include the promotion of an income pact that provides stability from the perspective of wage 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 will speed up the approval and implementation of the RED mechanism for employment flexibility and stabilisation; this instrument, included in the recently approved labour reform, enables companies undergoing 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 has also called to remove partisan confrontation from European funds and to advance Spain's strategic autonomy, with investments in sectors such as semiconductors, batteries, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and the production of essential medicines.

Non official translation