Spanish Foreign Minister: Russia needs to be condemned for invasion of Ukraine and annexation of Crimea
In an interview with the Spanish newspaper El Mundo, Spanish Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis believes that Russia should continue to be condemned for invading Ukraine and annexing the Crimea; at the same time, he believes a dialogue should be maintained with the country to resolve global conflicts.
"Some of its [Russia's] activities cannot be considered friendly. Some of them are intolerable, such as the invasion of Ukraine and the annexation of the Crimea. However, one must be realistic and understand that Russia is necessary for solving certain global crises, such as Syria," Dastis said.
He noted that Moscow should be condemned for its unacceptable actions while a dialogue should simultaneously be conducted with it.
"Russia is a strategic partner and is a strategic concern… It is necessary to have a dual approach, to react and condemn unacceptable actions and [at the same time] conduct a dialogue to resolve problems that concern us all," the head of the Spanish Foreign Ministry stressed.
Spanish Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis had earlier called on EU’s Eastern Strategic Communications Working Group to allocate additional resources for countering Russian disinformation and anti-European propaganda.
At a joint news conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin in Kyiv on October 30, Dastis said that Spain supports Ukraine in the restoration of its territorial integrity.