Ukraine has agreed with Spain on cooperation in the field of security, the agreement, in particular, provides for the provision of EUR 1 billion in military aid to Ukraine in 2024.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced this on his Telegram channel, the Ukrainian News agency reports.
"Today in Madrid together with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, we signed a bilateral Agreement on cooperation in the field of security. This year, Spain will provide Ukraine with EUR 1 billion in military aid. And EUR 5 billion over three years. Humanitarian aid, economic recovery and reconstruction, support Ukrainian reforms on the way to membership in the EU and NATO and our Peace Formula, strengthening of sanctions against Russia - all these areas of cooperation are outlined in our agreement," he said.
Zelenskyy also said that he discussed with Sanchez the further strengthening of Ukrainian air defense and how Spain can help with this. He informed the Prime Minister about the situation at the front and about russian efforts to expand the war.
"These weeks, our soldiers are defending themselves against another Russian offensive operation, and that is why we now especially need to intensify joint work with partners for the sake of greater security and tangible coercion of Russia for peace - by all means," Zelenskyy said.
The text of the signed agreement is posted on the President's website.
The document establishes Spain's commitment to support Ukraine as long as it is necessary to restore its territorial integrity within the internationally recognized borders of 1991.
The document records Spain's readiness to continue providing comprehensive support throughout the 10-year term of the agreement.
Spain will continue to support the development of the Security and Defense Forces of Ukraine, provide modern military equipment in various fields, support the medical training and prosthetics of the Ukrainian military, and strengthen the maritime security of Ukraine.
Bilateral security cooperation will be deepened in the spheres of intelligence, fight against organized crime and in the defense industry, in particular by studying the possibilities of joint production and identifying possible sources of financing necessary for the development of the defense industrial base of Ukraine.
The agreement also deals with humanitarian aid, economic recovery and reconstruction, and support for Ukrainian reforms on the way to membership in the EU and NATO.
Separate blocks of the document are devoted to issues of support for the Ukrainian Peace Formula, strengthening of sanctions against russia, implementation of the damage compensation mechanism and bringing the aggressor to justice.
Spain became the tenth country with which Ukraine concluded a bilateral security agreement to implement the provisions of the Joint Declaration adopted by Ukraine and the members of the Group of Seven in Vilnius on July 12, 2023.
In total, 32 states have already joined the Joint Declaration.
Before that, Ukraine signed bilateral agreements with the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Denmark, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, Finland and Latvia.
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, on Monday, May 27, Zelenskyy arrived in Spain to sign the security agreement, and was met personally by King Felipe VI.
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