Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha: "I had a meaningful conversation with my Spanish colleague and friend José Manuel Albares. I thanked Spain for its clear condemnation of Russia’s latest attacks and solidarity with Ukraine. 

We focused on the increasingly difficult situation in the Black Sea. Russia is deliberately attacking our ports and maritime routes, weaponizing food and threatening global food security. Freedom of navigation must be restored. We need a strong and coordinated international response, including practical solutions to keep Ukrainian agricultural exports reaching global markets. 

We also discussed Ukraine’s urgent air defence needs. We need to use every available opportunity to strengthen the protection of our skies, particularly against Russia’s ballistic threat. 

I stressed the need for a faster and more systematic sanctions response to Russian attacks. Rather than waiting for large packages, we need targeted sanctions after every Russian strike, first of all against Russia’s missile and drone production ecosystem.  

We also discussed bringing the full use of frozen Russian assets firmly back onto the international agenda so that Russian resources can serve Ukraine’s defence and recovery. 

Now is a good moment to move forward with opening other negotiating clusters. Further progress would send an important signal of confidence in Ukraine and in our shared European future. I thanked Spain for its steadfast support for Ukraine’s accession to the EU. 

We share the understanding that bringing peace closer requires both stronger pressure on Russia and decisive European action. Grateful to Spain for its principled position."