Sánchez promises to support Ukraine "as long as it takes" and gives his support for it to enter the EU

Defends that only Ukraine can set the "terms and times of peace negotiations"

The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, has promised to support Ukraine "for as long as it takes" and "regardless of the price that has to be paid", and has shown his support for the country becoming a member state of the EU and their political participation in NATO is strengthened.

This was expressed in a speech before the plenary session of the Ukrainian Parliament during the first day of the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, where he defended that only Ukraine can set "the terms and times of the peace negotiations".

In the context of the "illegal and unjustified Russian aggression against Ukraine", Sánchez thanked those countries and regions that are proposing a "just and lasting peace", but stressed that these proposals cannot be accepted because this is a " aggressive war with an aggressor and a victim".

Thus, he has ruled that "Russia and Ukraine cannot be treated equally", and has underlined his support for the "peace formula" of the Ukrainian president, Volodimir Zelenski, which "is respectful of international law and the Charter of United Nations".

Sánchez recalled that the first speech he gave in the Ukrainian Parliament was in February this year, on the first anniversary of the "Russian aggression" against Ukraine, and stressed that "things have changed since then."

"Today, Ukraine is in the middle of a counteroffensive against Russia, an enemy that is showing signs of weakness," said Sánchez, referring to the rebellion led last weekend by the Wagner Group against Russian President Vladimir Putin.

For the president of Spain, these facts "speak for themselves." "If a side shows weakness, it is because there is someone in front of it who shows the opposite, determination", he reflected on it, to applaud the "determination, strength and courage" of Ukraine.

Sánchez, who has insisted that Spain "cries" with the Ukrainians, has asked not to forget that "the European aspiration" of the Ukrainian people has been one of the "excuses" for the Russian invasion, an aspect in which he has added that it was "fair" to grant the country's EU candidate status.

"No one deserves it more than you", he asserted before the Ukrainian Parliament, to point out that it is not "an easy process" and specify that becoming a member state "requires changes, reforms and sacrifices", an effort that "deserves the grief". Thus, she has expressed her desire to see the report of the European Commission in the autumn that "will lay the foundations for the future" of Ukraine.

The head of the Spanish Executive, who has also announced that Spain will allocate 55 million euros for the reconstruction of the country, has also referred to the NATO Summit in Vilnius and has stressed that Spain supports "promoting the political participation of Ukraine through the creation of a NATO-Ukraine Council".

With this, Ukraine "will no longer be a guest, but a member, a member by right", stressed Sánchez, who also guaranteed that Spain will continue its contribution to the country by delivering more battle tanks, armored personnel carriers and a field hospital with surgical capacity.

Lastly, he praised the Ukrainian people for their struggle. "Ukraine is going to win this war," she has cried. "You fight for peace, for security and for the prosperity of your children. And every Ukrainian soldier knows it. Russian soldiers fight because they are afraid (...). Europe is with you and you are one with Europe," he said. concluded her.