Spanish Premier, Argentinian President Discuss Russia-Ukraine War

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Argentinian President Alberto Fernandez met in Madrid on Tuesday and discussed the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.

In a Twitter post, Sanchez said: "Spain and Argentina firmly condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine and show our total respect for international legality and the multilateral order."

He said that Fernandez expressed "empathy for the situation we are experiencing in Europe" due to the war.

Calling the meeting with Sanchez "fruitful and warm," Fernandez, for his part, said they exchanged views "on the difficult moment in the world due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the humanitarian crisis and the economic consequences."

"We can be a stable supplier of energy and also contribute not only raw materials, but also applied biotechnology. We took the first step toward it," the Argentinian president said.

Fernandez said they also agreed on the need to promote policies for greater equality and to continue strengthening the Ibero-American agenda.

Ibero-America is a region in the Americas comprising countries where Spanish or Portuguese are the predominant languages.

"We talk about all these issues with the commitment to always seek peace and equity in these complex times," he added.

The sanctions proposed by the European Commission last week is presently being negotiated by EU member states, and it suggests a ban on Russian oil imports.

In March, the European Commission revealed a plan to reduce dependency on Russian energy and to cut gas imports by two-thirds by the end of this year by accelerating the green transition into renewables and securing fossil fuel supply from new partners, including the US and the Middle East.

At least 3,459 civilians have been killed and 3,713 others injured during the ongoing Ukraine war that started on Feb. 24, according to UN estimates. The true toll is feared to be much higher.

More than 5.91 million people have fled to other countries, with some 7.7 million people internally displaced, according to the UN refugee agency. -