Spain: Sanchez open to sending troops to Ukraine and Gaza

Brussels – Following the United Kingdom and France, Spain, led by socialist Pedro Sánchez, has also declared its willingness to deploy troops to Ukraine.”If Spain has sent peacekeeping troops to other distant latitudes, why not send peacekeeping forces to Ukraine, a European country? We must actively participate in the implementation of this European security architecture,” Sánchez said at the opening of the conference of 130 Spanish ambassadors gathered in Madrid.

The contingents would arrive in Ukraine only after a ceasefire had been reached in the area. In a very complicated global scenario, Sánchez then renewed his willingness, already expressed in October, to deploy “peacekeeping troops, when the time comes,” including in Palestine. The socialist is thus the only world leader to have explicitly declared his willingness to directly engage his troops in both conflicts.

Spain aligned with France and the UK

The Spanish leader’s stance came two days after France and the United Kingdom signed a declaration of willingness during the meeting of the coalition of the willing. However, the goodwill of European chancelleries will still have to pass the chamber’s test. Both Keir Starmer and Pedro Sánchez pointed out that parliamentary approval is necessary to endorse such an important decision. In Madrid, where the majority is based on a precarious balance, parliamentary approval cannot be taken for granted.

Europeans who are not on board

Sanchez’s decision comes as a surprise within the EU. Few on the continent have shown themselves to be open to direct military support for Ukraine. Council President Giorgia Meloni has categorically denied this possibility. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is more open to the idea, but has only spoken of a generic “deployment of forces on NATO territory near Ukraine after a ceasefire.” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk took a similar approach, denying the direct involvement of Polish troops in Ukraine but outlining Poland’s role as a “leading country” in supervising logistical support for Ukraine.

Moscow: “Troops are a legitimate combat target”

The goodwill of France, Spain, and the United Kingdom will, in any case, have to pass the test of negotiations, where the main obstacle remains Moscow’s opposition to peace. The Russian Federation has never really opened up to a ceasefire in recent months. On the contrary, hostile statements against European states have persisted to this day. In a statement from the Ministry of Defence, the peacekeeping plan proposed by the coalition of the willing was described as ‘dangerous,’ adding that any troops sent to Ukraine by Western governments would be a “legitimate combat target.”

Troops in Palestine

On the shores of the Mediterranean, however, phase 2 of the ceasefire in Gaza is not yet fully operational. The deployment of foreign troops under United Nations supervision to guarantee the truce has not met with much approval. The list, which now includes the Madrid executive, also features Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Italy. The world’s major armies have remained silent, if not explicitly denying their participation with military forces in maintaining the possible peace.