The Minister of Defense of Spain, Margarita Robles, said that the Patriot air defense missiles promised by her country have already arrived in Ukraine. The number of transferred missiles is not specified.
Robles said this during a visit to the military base in Zaragoza, where Ukrainian military personnel are trained, writes the Spanish publication El Mundo.
"We have to be very clear that Ukraine is a country that has been invaded by Putin, who, as we all know, is committing mass murder [in Ukraine] and is not going to impose any restrictions," Robles said.
The Minister of Defense of Spain noted that the delivered Patriot missiles will help protect Ukraine from Russian air attacks. In addition, Robles emphasized that the countries of the European Union should maintain their support for Ukraine.
In addition to long-range Patriot anti-aircraft missiles, Spain announced the transfer of light and heavy machine guns, armored wheeled vehicles, armored infantry vehicles, anti-tank weapons and field artillery howitzers, with the aid scheduled for the next two months. These deliveries will be followed by the transfer of various anti-aircraft surveillance systems and remote weapon stations for defense against drones.
Also, Spain is preparing to send new Leopard tanks. The first units will be ready by the end of June.
- The authorities of Ukraine have been calling on allies for several weeks in a row to help with air defense systems and ammunition for them. There was a shortage in the troops, due to which Russian missile and drone attacks began to penetrate the defenses.