By Victoria Waldersee
MADRID (Reuters) -Spain pledged 817 million euros ($946 million) in military and other aid for Ukraine on Tuesday during President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s visit as he aims to bolster Kyiv’s air defences against Russia’s invasion.The bulk of the aid, in which defence equipment will amount to 300 million euros, is part of a 10-year bilateral security and defence agreement signed in May 2024 that envisages an annual 1 billion euros.
As part of the package, Spain will purchase U.S. military equipment worth 100 million euros under NATO’s Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) initiative, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told a joint news conference.
It also includes 200 million euros in credit for companies investing in the reconstruction of Ukraine, with a particular focus on energy, transport and water management.
“First, for the Ukrainian army to protect the territorial integrity of Ukraine from the invader, secondly to protect the civilian population, and finally to give an impulse to reconstruction,” Sanchez said about the package.
He also reiterated Spain’s support for using frozen Russian assets in Europe for reconstruction.
Zelenskiy earlier visited the headquarters of radar and anti-drone specialist Indra, part-owned by the Spanish state, along with other defence firms and Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles.
The Ukrainian leader’s European trip comes amid a surge of Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukraine in recent weeks.
REACTIVATE PEACE EFFORT
While underlining the importance of advanced radars, drone technologies and air defence systems and ammunition he has sought from Spain and Europe, Zelenskiy said that Ukraine will try to “reactivate” the diplomatic process to end his country’s war with Russia.
“It’s important, as this is going on, to feel constant support behind one’s back,” Zelenskiy said.
His visit to Spain follows a trip to Greece and France, where he signed an agreement to buy up to 100 French-made Rafale warplanes over the next 10 years.
He will travel to Turkey on Wednesday where he is expected to coincide with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff for talks about reviving hopes of a potential peace deal with Russia.
Spain has come under fire from NATO allies for rejecting calls by U.S. President Donald Trump for European members to increase their defence spending to 5% of their gross domestic product, though it has been vocal in its support for Ukraine and is participating in new NATO eastern flank defence missions.
It has previously supplied Ukraine with Leopard tanks, Patriot missiles, anti-tank systems, and artillery ammunition.
($1 = 0.8641 euros)
(Reporting by Victoria Waldersee and Aislinn Laing; additional reporting by Yuliia Dysa in Kyiv; writing by Andrei Khalip, Editing by Nick Zieminski)
