Spain will deploy a NASAMS air defense system in Estonia from April in order to reinforce the eastern flank of NATO against any temptation of aggression by Russia. This was announced by the Estonian Defense Minister, Hanno Pevkur, after meeting in Brussels with Daisy Robles. However, the agreement has not been confirmed by Madrid.
“I’m very happy that we have reached an agreement with Spain on the deployment of its NASAMS medium-range air defense system for four months, starting in April,” said Pevkur it’s a statement. Estonia is pending finalization of the purchase of its own air defense systems and considers the temporary support of NATO allies “important” to fill “this critical gap in our capabilities.”
“This is a short-term solution, but we are already preparing a more sustainable solution. To that end, with Latvia and Lithuania, we have made a proposal in NATO to establish an air defense rotation modelsimilar to the Baltic Air Policing mission currently in place,” added the minister.
[Alarma en la OTAN al agotarse las reservas de municiones por su envío masivo a Ucrania]
Estonia also hopes that the deployment of Spain’s NASAMS unit will serve to “learn the tactical details of a medium-range air defense system.” “In addition, it will give our Defense Forces and Air Force the experience of integrating a medium-range air defense system with other defense systems,” Pevkur explains.
The mission of the Spanish air defense system will be protect Ämari Air Base, a “strategic object”. The unit is combat ready and will deploy to Estonia under the command of NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR). A similar unit has been deployed in Latvia and the two systems will be linked and will form part of NATO’s eastern flank air and missile defense.
For her part, the Minister of Defense has avoided specifying How many Leopards does Spain plan to send to kyiv? within the framework of the “coalition of tanks”. Of course, Robles has announced that he will train half a hundred Ukrainians in the handling and repair of these battle tanks. These people will arrive in Spain at the end of this week or the beginning of next week. The tanks are scheduled to be shipped to Ukraine in late March or early April.
Robles has explained that Spain does not have the war fighters demanded by President Volodímir Zelenski to stop an eventual spring offensive by Russia. “The issue of aircraft is not the most urgent issue right now. But it is an ongoing discussion. And we have ongoing consultations among the allies about the type of systems that we should deliver to Ukraine,” said NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg.
At the meeting held this Tuesday in Brussels, the defense ministers of the Atlantic Alliance have agreed to maintain and accelerate military aid to Ukraine. “We see no signs that President Putin is preparing for peace. What we see is the opposite, it is preparing for more war, for new offensives and new attacks. That makes it all the more important that NATO allies and partners provide more support to Ukraine,” Stoltenberg said.
“Spain will continue to support Ukraine with material, training and humanitarian aid, within our possibilities,” said Robles. The Minister of Defense stresses the importance of coordinating the sending of aid between the different allied countries because “the most important thing is not what a country can send, but the interoperability they have.”
“The decisions will be made in full accordance with what is decided with the allies and taking into account the needs of Ukraine,” added Robles, who maintains that the material to be sent “It does not have an offensive purpose, but a defensive one, to protect the lives of Ukrainians”.
