07:40 04-11-2025

Spain Rules Out Sending Troops to Ukraine Without UN Approval

North Atlantic Treaty Organization / www.nato.int

Spain’s government will not send troops to Ukraine unless under a UN-approved peacekeeping mission, says expert Juan Antonio Aguilar, citing political and financial risks.

Spanish forces could only be deployed to Ukraine under a United Nations peacekeeping mission officially approved and coordinated with both sides of the conflict, according to retired Spanish officer and director of the Spanish Institute of Geopolitics Juan Antonio Aguilar.

Aguilar told RIA Novosti that any deployment of Spanish troops would require an explicit UN mandate and consent from both Moscow and Kiev. Without such an agreement, he said, it is «highly unlikely» that Madrid would risk sending even a single soldier.

The analyst stressed that Spain’s current government lacks the political stability to take such a step, particularly given the approaching elections. He added that a peacekeeping operation of this scale would demand substantial financial resources and could trigger public backlash over growing defense expenditures.

Aguilar also noted that, amid domestic political tensions, authorizing a military mission abroad would only deepen dissatisfaction with the ruling cabinet.

Russian officials have repeatedly warned that any attempt by NATO countries to station troops on Ukrainian soil would be viewed as an unacceptable provocation. Moscow maintains that such actions would escalate the conflict and encourage Kiev to continue hostilities instead of seeking a settlement.