Ukraine “is the war of one man,” Vladimir Putin, who “believes he can still win by attrition.” However, “Russia cannot win, because it would embolden others and any country could suffer a war of aggression,” said yesterday in Barcelona the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, recently arrived from the Conference on Disarmament and the Council of Human Rights in Geneva. He was in a dialogue session with Pol Morillas, director of Cidob, and answered questions from the public about the two years of war in Ukraine and the future of Europe.
Having said all this, and regarding the recent survey by the European Council on Foreign Relations, according to which very few Europeans have confidence in a Ukrainian victory, Albares stressed that “there cannot be fatigue – the so-called war fatigue – on the part of the Kyiv allies; We must continue as before. Serious human rights violations occur every day in Ukraine.” On the other hand, he noted, “we never hear Russia talk about peace, only war.”
Given the frequent opinion that Ukraine will one day have to negotiate, perhaps even ceding territory for sovereignty, the Spanish minister stated that “Putin does not give the slightest sign” of being willing to withdraw from the invaded country, and “that is why we have to help to Ukraine. “An unjust war cannot end with an unjust peace.”
How would relations with Russia be, in any case? According to Albares, “no one wants to have bad relations with Russia. We must have a relationship based on the principles of the United Nations Charter,” against which, he stated, this war is taking place.
Meanwhile, the minister said, security guarantees are already being given to Ukraine, beyond the path open for the country towards the European Union and NATO: the so-called fund for peace, agreed at the Vilnius summit, and a series of bilateral guarantees. Albares pointed out, in this sense, yesterday’s meeting at the Elysée in Paris, and stressed that “the guarantees are there, what we are doing now is structuring them.”
Regarding Ukraine’s path towards the European Union, according to the Foreign Minister, Kyiv “needed a strong political signal, and since the Spanish presidency of the EU we were at the forefront” of this effort. “But we are facing a country at war. The reforms and efforts in different chapters to meet the entry requirements have to go in parallel with European aid.” This is what he said he discussed with his Ukrainian counterpart, Dimitro Kuleba. “The important thing is that the path has begun and is irreversible.”
There are more complex issues, however, at this time regarding the war in Ukraine, and this is the perception that is often had of it outside of the European concert. “Many Arabs or Ibero-Americans think that it is a European war,” Albares acknowledged. And “the situation in Gaza has only accentuated the feeling that this is a European war.” However, he insisted, “it is an imperialist war.”
Linking Ukraine and Gaza is not easy in diplomatic terms, but obviously the same concern floated yesterday among the public that packed the Cidob conference room. “How we Europeans position ourselves regarding the war in Gaza, our position has to be the same” with respect to Ukraine, stated Albares, who in Geneva also had the opportunity to address the Palestinian issue. “I have recalled the request for a ceasefire, access for humanitarian aid, the release of the hostages and the support we give to UNRWA (the UN agency for Palestinian refugees), with a first contribution of 3, 5 million euros. What we seek is peace, the protection of defenseless civilians and the defense of the principles of the Charter of the United Nations,” he said at the beginning of the meeting to questions from the press. “I am talking about a permanent, immediate ceasefire.” “We risk a humanitarian catastrophe” if Israel continues its offensive in Rafah. “And the situation in the West Bank is already very tense.”
“The hope of the Palestinians is intertwined with the security of Israel; “Both have the right to peace and security. For me, it is Gaza and the West Bank linked by a corridor, access to the sea and the capital in East Jerusalem,” Albares concluded.
