Spain is sending warships to bolster NATO naval forces in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea and is mulling sending fighter jets to Bulgaria in a bid to deter Russian aggression, Defense Minister Margarita Robles said Jan. 20.
A mine-sweeper is already on its way and a frigate will be sent within three or four days, she added, various international media reported.
“Russia cannot tell any country what to do, so NATO will protect and defend the sovereignty of any country that can or wants to join NATO.“
Robles underlined, adding that Spain wants an “exclusively diplomatic response” to resolve the conflict amid the continuing buildup of Russian troops around Ukraine’s borders. Ukraine has asked to join NATO, something Russia continues to staunchly oppose.
NATO has rebuffed Moscow’s demands that it not extend further east, which the Kremlin has used as an excuse to amass its forces. Spain is the latest NATO member state to help bolster Ukraine’s defenses. Denmark has said it was sending a frigate to the Baltic Sea, while the U.S. is also allowing NATO allies Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to send American-made weapons “from their inventories for use by Ukraine.”
