Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced on March 18 the allocation of 1 billion euros in military aid to Ukraine in 2026.
He said this at a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Sanchez stressed that Madrid recognizes the Russian war against Ukraine as “unjust and illegal” and “unprovoked,” but the Russian authorities were mistaken with a “quick victory.”
“First of all, 1 billion euros for 2026 for military support…. This will be a co-production of some materials from the Ministry of Defense, from the Ministry of Defense of Spain together with the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. Spain's assistance (to Ukraine – ed.) in this war reaches 4 billion euros,” he said, adding that Madrid recently began funding the work of SAFE.
The Prime Minister indicated that Spain will support the Ukrainian people “with the same intensity as on the first day” of the full-scale Russian invasion.
According to Sanchez, part of the aid, financed through the EU's SAFE mechanism, will be aimed at establishing joint production with the Ukrainian defense industry. Some equipment will also be provided by the Spanish Ministry of Defense.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during his visit to Spain on March 18, held a bilateral meeting with the country's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. Following the meeting, the politicians signed a number of documents on cooperation between the states.