Kimberley Mannion
THE Spanish prime minister announced that he will travel to Kyiv ‘in the coming days’ to meet with Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky.
The date of the visit, which is yet to be confirmed, will coincide with the reopening of the Spanish Embassy in the Ukrainian capital. Spain’s ambassador, Silvia Cortes Marin and staff in Kyiv fled the capital on February 25, the day after Russian troops invaded.
On Monday Sanchez announced that the embassy was set to reopen in an important
gesture of solidarity with the war-torn country.
Sánchez said: “This is a war by Putin against the values that the EU represents. That is why unity is our greatest strength.”
Sanchez will follow in the path of other European leaders who have visited Kyiv since the conflict began to meet with Zelensky.
Boris Johnson travelled there in a surprise visit on April 9 while EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola have also both visited.
Earlier this month Zelensky appeared via videolink to address Spain’s parliamentarians in a special 30-minute session of Congress in Madrid.
Zelensky praised Spain for its support in their resistance and appealed for ‘more weapons and sanctions’.
Zelensky said: “I know that the defence of democracy and peace on the European continent is very important for Spain. But how do we achieve it if Russia piles in resources to destroy everything?”.
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