The Minister for Defence, Margarita Robles, attends the ministerial meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group
Exceptionally, the meeting was attended by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who opened the meeting by once again thanking partners for their efforts in terms of military support in terms of equipment and training, as well as humanitarian aid. He underlined the seriousness of the current situation in his country and the need for continued assistance and weapons systems to defend against Russian aggression, stressing among other things the urgency of more air defence systems.
This was followed by the US Secretary of Defence, Lloyd Austin, and the German Minister for Defence, Boris Pistorius. Ukrainian and American authorities and experts then detailed the real situation on the ground, and on the systematic punishment that Russia continues to inflict on the civilian population, including at the rear, and on critical infrastructure affecting basic services.
The next session outlined the most urgent needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and reviewed ongoing support initiatives, in particular the various coalitions of capabilities in support of Ukraine.
New shipments
In her speech, Robles underlined the effectiveness and added value of this Contact Group in coordinating assistance to Ukraine and reiterated Spain's firm commitment to Ukraine and to security in Europe.
In response to President Zelenskyy's express request for air defence systems, Minister Robles announced the immediate dispatch of a complete HAWK battery, which includes the six missile launchers also donated by Spain and already located in Poland.
The minister also detailed the processes of preparing new donations and shipments of material for the Armed Forces, and the numerous projects that the Spanish defence industry is undertaking as a result of Spain's bilateral security agreement with Ukraine.
In this way, our country reinforces its military support in terms of material and training, while continuing to provide humanitarian support to Ukraine with different plans and initiatives.
Margarita Robles also informed of the renewal, from 1 October, of the programme for hosting Ukrainian families in military residences on the Spanish coast and, likewise, of the increase in the number of training courses for Ukrainian armed forces personnel within the framework of the European Union's EUMAM mission, which is expected to exceed 6,000 soldiers trained by the end of the year.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Minister Robles signed Spain's accession to the IT Coalition, led by Estonia and Luxembourg, and to the Maritime Coalition, led by Norway and the United Kingdom.
During the meeting, the Minister for Defence was accompanied by Admiral Juan Francisco Martínez Núñez, Secretary General for Defence Policy.
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