(MENAFN) Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine's president, touched down in the Spanish capital Tuesday as part of an intensifying diplomatic push to secure additional backing for Kyiv's defense against Moscow's ongoing invasion.

The Ukrainian leader's arrival signals a carefully orchestrated effort to expand military and financial commitments from European allies at a critical juncture in the conflict.

"Today, I am holding meetings in Spain that we have been preparing for quite some time. We expect that another strong country will increase its support – helping us protect lives and bring the end of the war closer," Zelenskyy wrote on the platform X, owned by American social media company.

During the morning hours, Ukraine's president addressed Spain's legislative body before engaging with Margarita Robles, the nation's defense minister, and top leadership from Spanish defense manufacturing firms.


The agenda includes a scheduled audience with King Felipe VI and discussions with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez later in the day.

"I will speak with Prime Minister Sanchez about how to strengthen our defense and our industries – both Ukraine's and Spain's," Zelenskyy stated through social channels. "The more bilateral ties we build with countries of the European Union, the more integrated we become with Europe."

This diplomatic mission represents Zelenskyy's third journey to Spanish territory since hostilities erupted, with Madrid maintaining unwavering solidarity with Kyiv throughout the invasion.

In remarks to a Spanish state broadcaster, Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares pledged continued assistance "for as long as this war of aggression lasts."

According to Albares, Madrid allocated approximately €1 billion ($1.16 billion) in 2024 enabling Ukraine to procure weaponry, with comparable funding anticipated for 2025. Additional support includes American-supplied generators being transferred to Ukrainian forces.

Spain has provided sanctuary to roughly 250,000 displaced Ukrainians, among them some 40,000 children currently enrolled in educational institutions, the foreign minister noted.

The Madrid visit follows Zelenskyy's recent diplomatic tour through Athens—where he finalized a natural gas import arrangement—and Paris, where he clinched an agreement securing 100 Rafale combat aircraft manufactured in France.

Wednesday's schedule places the Ukrainian president in Türkiye "to intensify negotiations" focused on conflict resolution mechanisms and facilitating prisoner exchanges between the warring nations.

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