Zelensky visits Madrid as Ukraine, Spain set to sign defense deals
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Editor's note: The story is being updated.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in Spain for talks with Spanish leaders and to attend the signing of new defense deals on March 18, marking another stop on the president's tour of European partners.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will receive Zelensky at the Moncloa Palace, as Madrid seeks to reaffirm its support for Kyiv amid Russia's ongoing invasion, Spanish media reported.
The two leaders are expected to discuss the war in Ukraine in the context of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, as well as Spanish support for the Ukrainian energy sector.
"The president is working in Madrid. He has just arrived at the Sener Aerospace & Defense company. Here, he will inspect equipment samples and the production process," presidential spokesperson Serhii Nykyforov told reporters.
Sener Aerospace & Defense is a division of the Spanish Sener engineering group, specializing in the production of systems and components for satellites, communications, missile guidance, and other technologies.
Zelensky is expected to attend the signing of Ukrainian-Spanish defense agreements and meet King Felipe VI and heads of the Spanish parliament.
Spain, a NATO and EU member, has provided military, financial, and other support to Kyiv since the outbreak of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, including Leopard 2A4 tanks and training for Ukrainian soldiers.
The president is visiting Spain a day after traveling to the U.K., where he met King Charles III, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and signed a defense agreement with London.
Last week, Zelensky met French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris and the Romanian leadership in Bucharest, as he seeks to bolster European support in the face of Russia's ongoing invasion.
The visits take place amid rising tensions between Washington and its European allies, who have been reluctant to back U.S. President Donald Trump in the U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran.
Trump has publicly derided both Starmer and Sanchez for their positions on the conflict, and even threatened to cut off all trade with Spain over its refusal to support U.S. military operations in Iran.
