Distinguished Prime Minister, dear Pedro!
Esteemed attendees!
Ladies and gentlemen!
Our teams!
Esteemed journalists!
Dear people of Spain!
First of all, I want to thank you for your support – support for Ukraine, unconditional support. Most importantly, support for our people and our independence since the very beginning of the full-scale war. And this is principled support.
Spain helps our defense. And I am especially grateful for the decision you, Pedro, made regarding the Hawks and for the weapons that have helped us defend against Russian assaults. These were critical decisions. You know, as time passes, people forget how difficult it was to get through the winter during blackouts. And in such moments, dark and very challenging moments, you always remember friends who gave you light – simply because they are such bright people. And you are among them, as is your country and the people of Spain. We are deeply grateful for that.
Today, we focused closely on our defense cooperation. And in the face of ongoing Russian attacks, Ukraine truly values Spain’s readiness to continue providing assistance. Thank you.
Spain consistently implements our bilateral security agreement, which the Prime Minister already mentioned today. And this ensures confidence in annual support. EUR 1 billion each year – it’s a strong support. We are grateful for Spain’s willingness to make the contribution we have agreed on today, EUR 100 million to the PURL initiative – a program that allows us to purchase air defense missiles for our protection.
We discussed various challenges. Undoubtedly, one of the most complex aspects is the challenges facing the energy sector following Russian strikes – and Spain has expressed readiness to help us. I thank you for this economic package of EUR 200 million, including support for energy. We have also reached an agreement that Spain will allocate more than EUR 200 million through the SAFE instrument for joint defense efforts with us. This has a real impact and is crucial for the future. It also sets a strong example for other European states.
Today, we also communicated with Spanish defense companies. I want to thank them. We had a very productive discussion.
Ukraine is preparing a project to supply, among other things, long-range detection radars, which could significantly strengthen our capabilities. We saw it today. This is a Spanish product, truly one-of-a-kind. And we will try to put all this into practice, try it in a real war.
We are ready for joint production of precision-guided weapons. I am thankful for the new defense aid package, which includes air defense missiles. This is a major shortage for us during the winter, a major shortage. And here is a specific package – 40 missiles for the Iris-T air defense systems. The total package amounts to EUR 300 million, as Pedro already mentioned. This will make a real difference. Thank you.
Together with our partners, we are ensuring protection for people, for our communities, and therefore for the entire European way of life. Russian aggression remains concentrated in Eastern Europe and must be stopped right there. This is possible, but only through unity.
The Prime Minister and I discussed the situation on the battlefield and the situation in diplomacy. Spain supports the necessary pressure on Russia to end the war. This includes sanctions, our European efforts against the Russian tanker fleet, and our work regarding Russian assets, which must be fully used to defend against Russian aggression. And this matters to all of us in Europe, to prevent Russia from spreading war further across our continent, as well as in regions neighboring Europe – the Middle East and the countries of Africa. International relations require peace and stability, and that is only possible with guaranteed security – guaranteed absence of war.
I thank the Prime Minister once again. I sincerely thank Spain for caring for our people who are here in Spain, whom you have hosted and supported. We are very grateful to you.
Of course, there are still steps we need to take. We will continue to intensify our diplomatic efforts. It is important to feel, at the same time, the constant support behind us. Support from our partners, support of our unity, the strength of our shared understanding that the war must end – and must end with dignity. This is very important to us.
Thank you once again, dear Pedro!
Thank you to all Spanish people for standing with us.
Glory to Ukraine!
