Fiona Govan
SPAIN’S prime minister arrived in Kyiv on Thursday morning to meet with Ukraine’s President Volodymr Zelensky.
Pedro Sanchez announced on Twiitter that he had flown into the Ukrainian capital.
“Just arrived to Kyiv. Ukraine has the support, solidarity and commitment of Spain,” he wrote.
He arrived alongside Denmark’s prime minister Mette Frederiksen and the pair will meet with Zelensky later on Thursday at a location kept secret from the media for security reasons.
Since the start of the Russian invasion, Spain has officially taken in 134,000 Ukrainian’s fleeing their homeland with around half of the refugees being given temporary accommodation by local authorities across Spain.
Earlier this week, Sanchez announced plans to reopen the Spanish Embassy in Kyiv, which closed on February 25 and the staff evacuated the day after Russian forces entered Ukraine.
Sanchez follows 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?”.
READ MORE:
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