Spain's defence minister says 5,000 Ukrainian soldiers trained in Spain

Margarita Robles, Spain’s Minister of Defence, met with Ukrainian soldiers taking part in training in the Spanish city of Toledo as part of the European Union mission on Tuesday, 27 August.

As reported by the Spanish Ministry of Defence, Robles told the Ukrainian soldiers in Toledo that "Spain’s solidarity, support, and commitment to Ukraine remain unwavering, as they have been since the beginning of the invasion."

She underscored the cruelty of this war, "especially in these days when the Ukrainian civilian population is falling victim to attacks that are unacceptable from any point of view, as they violate all norms of the law of war and humanitarian law."

Robles also spoke about Spain’s military assistance to Ukraine.

Spain "is sending to Ukraine everything we can as part of Spain’s capabilities, and in terms of training, the Spanish military is particularly important. I am very proud for the work it’s doing, and grateful for it," Robles said.

According to Robles, Spain has trained more than 5,000 Ukrainian soldiers since autumn 2022, with 2,500 Spanish instructors taking part in training them.

Discussions regarding how to improve military training for Ukrainian soldiers are underway in the European Union, but EU officials have so far recommended that its member states do not send their military instructors to Ukraine.

On 16 August, Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles said that she had no information about how Ukrainian forces were using weapons supplied by Spain in the Kursk Oblast offensive, but it is up to Kyiv to decide how the transferred weapons are utilised.