Spain holds fire: Country will not send fighter jets to Ukraine

Spain will not send “any form” of fighter jet to Ukraine, according to Defence Minister, Margarita Robles. The decision was announced on Friday, March 17 following announcements earlier in the week by Poland and Slovakia that their countries would send combat planes to Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s government.

Despite Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez offering “air assistance” to Ukraine during his visit to Kiev in February, sources later confirmed that this would not entail sending fighter jets and that the option was “not on the table”.

Robles said that Spain also does not have the specific aircraft requested by Ukraine adding that “Spain will always be very respectful of the decisions made by allied countries to help Ukraine because it is firmly committed to helping this country”.

The decision not to send fighter jets is in line with Spain’s foreign policy of avoiding intervention and seeking diplomatic solutions to international conflicts. However, Spain remains committed to providing support to Ukraine in other ways, such as providing tanks and training troops.

As an EU and NATO member, Spain remains committed to de-escalating the situation and supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty.