Robles rules out that Spanish troops will “never” participate in the war in Ukraine
The Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, has assured this Sunday that “never, ever, will any troops from a NATO country, and Spain is one of them, go to participate in the war in Ukraine”, in the face of warnings from the partners of Podemos in the Government on the war escalation in this conflict.
One year after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Robles takes stock this Sunday in an interview with the newspaper The vanguard what happened and Spain’s participation in NATO initiatives.
Given the warnings from Podemos, according to which the escalation of the war could lead to the sending of Spanish troops to Ukraine, the Minister of Defense is blunt: “It is an absolutely impossible scenario; non-existent. Spanish soldiers would only intervene if there was an aggression against a NATO country”.
“Never, never —he adds— any troops from a NATO country, and Spain is one of them, will participate in the war in Ukraine. Never never. I want to make it very clear, very clear. Before speaking, you must know the NATO treaty and know that the troops of a member country only intervene if another member country is attacked and asks for help [invocando el artículo 5.º del tratado fundacional]”.
Regarding the Leopard tanks that Spain has withdrawn, Robles points out that “during the years of the Popular Party government, very little was invested in defense” and explains that the 2A4 tanks that are in Zaragoza, “in deplorable conditions, are being subject to reparation.” The minister hopes that this set-up will finish soon to integrate them into a battalion with the tanks donated by other countries, while she has begun the training of the men who must drive these vehicles and those responsible for their maintenance. She insists that the tanks “have an exclusive purpose: defense, never aggression against Russia.”
The minister regrets that “a very bloody spring” is expected in this conflict and denounces that this is not a war between armies, but “against the Ukrainian civilian population.” “They are massacring her,” she says.
Regarding a possible negotiation, the Spanish minister points to Vladimir Putin. “We all want a ceasefire, but the Russian president has made it very clear, without any doubt, that he wants to continue this war,” she says. (EFE)
