The Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union, and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, traveled today to Ukraine to assess the impact of the Russian aggression on Ukrainian territory and to reiterate Spain's support to the country's authorities, to whom he announced the delivery of ten million euros more in humanitarian aid.
Albares, who returned this Tuesday, January 28, to Ukraine for the third time since Putin started the war, began the trip in Lviv with an agenda that included political and diplomatic support to the Ukrainian government; humanitarian and reconstruction aid to the Ukrainian people; and protection of the country's heritage and culture.
Along these lines, Albares inaugurated a cultural center created thanks to the Spain-UNESCO Trust Fund for Development Cooperation together with his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Sybiha, and the Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay. This center, financed by AECID, was created with the aim of creating a space specifically dedicated to culture as a factor of peace and resilience in the war and post-war context in Ukraine, a country whose cultural productive fabric has lost 90% of its resources due to the war unleashed by the Russian invasion.
This center adds to the integral commitment of Spain to the recovery of Ukraine, which was materialized today with a new announcement of 10 million euros of Spanish Cooperation in humanitarian aid, which are added to the 100 million that Spain has delivered to Ukraine since the beginning of the war. In addition to this humanitarian aid, there is another one in reconstruction aid, which accumulates 400 million euros since the beginning of the Russian aggression.
Medical trainers
Spain's solidarity with Ukraine, beyond the economic items, was also highlighted during the visit of Minister Albares to the hospital in Lviv, where he announced that our country will send a Spanish team of medical trainers to help the Ukrainian hospital staff with their training tasks.
The coincidence in Lviv with his Ukrainian counterpart allowed him to hold a bilateral meeting in which they analyzed together the current situation, and in which Albares reiterated Spain's support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression. This support is reflected in the fulfillment of the bilateral military aid commitments with Ukraine agreed last year by the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymir Zelenskyy, with the delivery of military equipment and the training of Ukrainian military personnel in Spain within the framework of the European EUAM mission, with nearly 7,000 trained military personnel.
Accession to the EU
During the meeting with Sybiha, Albares also reiterated support for the process of accession to the European Union, which began during the Spanish Presidency of the EU, after reminding him that Spain has always expressed its strong support for this accession. The minister was also very firm in insisting on maintaining support for Ukraine in its territorial integrity and sovereignty, noting that no peace can be agreed for Ukraine without Ukraine, nor on European security without Europe.
During his working day, the minister also visited the Lviv cemetery, where he paid tribute to the fallen. He visited the historic center of the Ukrainian city in the company of the Director-General of UNESCO and the Ukrainian Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Andrii Sybiha, and Culture, Mykola Tochytsky. He also held a bilateral meeting with the latter. He also had time to visit the FestRepúblik art space.