The government is expelling diplomats and staff from the Russian embassy in Spain

The government is expelling diplomats and staff from the Russian embassy in Spain for “killing civilians” in Ukraine. This was announced by Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares at a press conference after the Council of Ministers. We are talking about the deportation of 27 people who will be given “a few days, but not more than a few days” to leave the country. The head of diplomacy did not want to give more details in anticipation of the contacts, that he was going to get acquainted with the decision with the parliamentary groups and gain support. The ambassador does not enter to “give dialogue a chance.”

The decision by the government of Pedro Sanchez has now been taken by other European countries and responds to the “unbearable images of the massacre of civilians” in Bucha or the situation in Mariupol. Thus, Spain is followed by other European countries such as Germany, France, Italy, Denmark or Sweden, which in the last hours have announced the expulsion of diplomats. According to Albares, they threaten the security interests of our country. However, he did not want to say whether there were any suspicions of espionage by this staff, as other states such as Germany point out.

“We are outraged,” Albares said of the massacre of civilians. The foreign minister recalled that Spain’s request was for a “war crimes investigation”. “They can not go unpunished,” he said. “We want to reiterate to the people of Ukraine that they are not alone,” he said hours before President Volodymyr Zelensky intervened in Congress.

Russia has already warned that these movements will have an “appropriate response”, so the government expects to respond to the expulsion of diplomats and staff from the embassy in Moscow. Albares recalled that Russia responded to each diplomatic maneuver with “exact symmetry.” “Diplomatic motives do this,” he explained. “There really is no symmetry.”

“The ambassador is not involved because we want to give a chance for dialogue, as we have been doing since the crisis began,” Albares said. So will the Spanish ambassador to this country. “We do not lose hope that Putin’s war will end,” said the minister, who believes that diplomacy can be resumed at that time.

As for the tightening of sanctions against Russia and especially the fact that the Allies stop buying gas from that country, Albares avoids giving a specific answer, although he also said that Spain is in favor of a complete severance – dependence on Russian gas is much lower than other European countries like Germany. , Which avoids making such a decision. “Not all countries have the same relations, the same ties with Russia, but unity must be emphasized,” he said of the measures. “They are all on the table.”