Friday, March 29

Pedro Sánchez warns Putin that violations of Ukraine “must not go unpunished”


“Violations against international law and against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of third parties cannot go unpunished.” That is the warning that Spain makes, within the framework of the EU, to Vladimir Putin after the attack on Ukraine. “Two paths are opened: the path of peace and international legality is opened or the path of illegitimate force is opened that leads to world disorder and insecurity. For Spain, for the majority of Spaniards, like the whole of the EU , the choice is hard but simple. We are a country, a democracy, a union committed to the values ​​of peace, international legality and solidarity”, he expressed in an institutional statement in Moncloa after meeting the National Security Council chaired by Philip VI.

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The President of the Government, as the EU leaders have previously done in a statement, has demanded that Putin cease hostilities over Ukraine and has warned that his actions “cannot go unpunished”. For now, the Executive is only talking about the sanctions on Russia at the expense of the extraordinary meeting of the European Council to study the response to what Sánchez has called a “flagrant violation” of international legality. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, appeared this Wednesday in Congress and avoided commenting on hypothetical military support in the event of a Russian invasion, despite questions from deputies from other countries, but made it clear that Spain it will not be excluded from the decisions taken by the allies in the framework of NATO and the EU.

Sánchez has defended that the “most effective formula for working for international legality is to sanction its violation.” Thus, he explained that a first package of sanctions has already been approved. “We are committed to peace and to the way in which we must guarantee that peace. If we want it to be effective, we must stop this aggression as soon as possible,” the president said: “The allies of the EU have approved a first package of sanctions with a Of course, which is to prevent the continuation of the aggressions of the Putin government, which unfortunately have already cost too many lives”.

“Spain will defend international legality. Spain will go out of its way to restore peace. Spain will show solidarity with the nations affected by this conflict,” said Sánchez, who has promised to “help Ukraine from the EU with financial aid, with investments to protect the well-being of the people of Ukraine and with medical supplies”.

The president has recognized that the Russian invasion is going to have an “economic impact” both in Spain and in the EU: “We will take as many measures as necessary to mitigate the economic and energy impact on society, companies, households and economic recovery” . The Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, explained on Wednesday that the EU is studying compensatory measures for the sectors that are going to be most affected by the situation and especially by the sanctions that will be imposed on Russia.

Regarding the around 320 Spaniards who are in Ukraine, and to whom the Government recommends leaving the country, the president has assured that the embassy in Kiev has been in “contact” with them for “a few weeks” and that the consular services are having telephone contact to address the “ways to leave Ukraine”. “The Warsaw embassy is on standby to provide logistical support as necessary.”

The president has appeared in Moncloa, in an institutional statement without the presence of journalists, after the meeting of the National Security Council chaired by the king that has been convened urgently this Thursday morning after the attack. In this body, in addition to the head of state and the president, the vice presidents of the government participate, including Yolanda Díaz, who is the only representative of United We Can, and the ministers of Defense, Foreign Affairs or Interior, among others.

Sánchez travels this afternoon to Brussels, where an extraordinary summit of EU leaders has been called to address the situation. Following initial contacts this morning, they issued a statement demanding the “immediate cessation of military actions” and that Russia “unconditionally withdraw all military forces and equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine and fully respect the territorial integrity, the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine”. “We will meet later to discuss this flagrant aggression and agree on further restrictive measures that will impose harsh and severe consequences on Russia, in close coordination with our transatlantic partners,” the statement read.

Sánchez, for his part, has demanded that Putin “immediately end hostilities” and “revoke” recognition of the independence of the pro-Russian Donetsk and Lugansk regions.



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