Spain Sending Arms to Ukraine to Dispose of Old Weaponry - Russian Ambassador

"With account for the real potential of the Spanish Armed Forces, insignificant amounts of aid [according to the Spanish, 600 million euros [$622mln] in 2022-24] are dissolved in general Western supplies, often not even reaching the front. The list of arms transferred to the Ukrainian Armed Forces rather suggests the desire of the Spanish to dispose of old weaponry and strengthen their positions in NATO," Klimenko said.

He said Moscow is particularly concerned about the implementation of the Spanish-Ukrainian agreement on security cooperation, signed in May 2024 by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Reports said in late May that Zelensky and Sanchez signed a bilateral security agreement in Madrid. The deal included, in particular, military and civilian assistance to Ukraine, restoration of the country's territory and its demining. According to the agreement, Spain will allocate a record-breaking military aid package to Ukraine in the amount of about 1 billion euros ($1.04 bln) in 2024.

Russia has been conducting its special military operation since February 24, 2022. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the operation aims to "protect people subjected to genocide by the Kiev regime." According to the president, the ultimate goal of the operation is to completely liberate Donbas and create conditions that guarantee Russia's security: Ukraine must undergo demilitarization and denazification.

Russia believes that arms supplies to Ukraine hinder the settlement and directly involve NATO countries in the conflict. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said any cargo containing weapons for Ukraine will be a legitimate target for Russia. According to him, the United States and NATO are directly involved in the conflict, including not only by supplying weapons, but also by training personnel in the UK, Germany, Italy and other countries. The Kremlin has said the West pumping weapons into Ukraine does not contribute to peace talks.