Ukraine asks Spain for "more tanks, armored vehicles and anti-aircraft systems": "As long as we continue fighting, we will need more"

Albares says that the Government will study the request as it always does and will attend to it to the best of its ability.

The Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Dimitro Kuleba, has expressly asked the Spanish government to send more tanks, armored vehicles and anti-aircraft defense systems, arguing that while the war continues his country will need the military support of European countries.

Kuleba has transferred this request to the acting Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, during the bilateral meeting that both have held on the margins of the informal meeting of EU Foreign Ministers in Toledo, in which the head of the European diplomacy.

"When we win the war, I will go out publicly and say that we don't need more weapons," Kuleba said in statements to the press, stressing that "as long as we keep fighting we will need more," "not because we are greedy" but "to restore peace in Europe".

For this reason, he told Albares that Ukraine would appreciate "the sending of more tanks, armored vehicles and air defense systems" by Spain. "This is something that we are asking of all countries and Spain is no exception," he said.

The Ukrainian minister also took the opportunity to express the gratitude of the Government of Volodimir Zelenski for the help provided so far by Spain. "He was one of the first to send in HAWKS" anti-aircraft defense systems last fall when the Russian missile attacks began," he said.

Albares has responded by assuring that the Government, "as it always does" when it receives requests from Ukraine, "studies them and to the best of our ability" attends to them. "I have once again guaranteed that Spain will help and support Ukraine for as long as necessary in all aspects," he stressed.

"The will to help Ukraine defend its defenseless civilians, its sovereignty and its territorial integrity for as long as necessary is present and will not change", promised the Foreign Minister, after recalling the military material that he has already delivered Spain.

On the other hand, Kuleba has indicated that he has also asked all EU countries that have F-16 aircraft to follow in the footsteps of the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway and send them this type of aircraft and not limit themselves only to the training of Ukrainian pilots. "This is something that is easy to do now and I hope that my call is answered," he confided, hoping to receive more combat aircraft of this type.

ACCESSION OF UKRAINE TO THE EU

In another order of things, the Ukrainian minister has said that he considers it "possible" to start this year the formal talks for accession to the European Union, a milestone for which he is already working with the Spanish presidency of the Council, which by mouth de Albares has made it clear to him this Thursday that he hopes to see Ukraine within the European "family" "as soon as possible".

Albares has predicted that the report from the European Commission on the reforms undertaken in kyiv to integrate into the community bloc will arrive in October. Then, it will be the time for "very important" decisions, he stressed to the press.

The head of Ukrainian diplomacy has anticipated that there will be "many important decisions" before December and has said that he perceives "will" on the part of the EU. "We want to end the year with a very ambitious achievement, such as advancing towards accession", he stressed, although Brussels has always avoided talking about deadlines because, as they remember, there is no fixed calendar to stick to.