The Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, has stated that Spain will not make any decision yet regarding the sending of troops to Ukraine in the face of a possible ceasefire. In a video released by her communication team, the head of the Armed Forces confirmed that the Chief of Defense Staff, Teodoro Esteban López-Calderón, will attend the meeting on the 11th with his counterparts convened by Macron in a televised speech. The idea was to work on "a plan for a solid, reliable, and verifiable peace." "I want to believe that the United States will be by our side," she clarified, "but we must be prepared if it is not."
In this context, and after a working video conference, Minister Robles explained that "this meeting does not imply what Spain's position will be from the perspective of the possible sending of troops." Furthermore, she communicated that "it is a long and complex decision." Thus, the Defense Minister delays a decision coinciding with the new threats from the Kremlin, which stated that the entry of troops into Ukrainian territory would consider those troops as involved in the war.
Robles' caution mirrors the approach the Government is taking regarding the deployment of troops, a move that France, the United Kingdom, and Canada have already shown support for. Two weeks ago, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, warned that it was "very premature to talk about deploying troops in Ukraine; there is no peace at the moment." Additionally, before Spain makes a decision on whether to send troops or not, the Spanish Foreign Minister already emphasized that "whenever we talk about deploying forces, we have to consider for what mission, under what flag, with what mandate." A message that the Defense Minister reaffirms this Thursday, March 6.