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Spanish PM blasts Putin's 'atrocities' during Ukraine visit

AFP/The Local
AFP/The Local - [email protected]
Spanish PM blasts Putin's 'atrocities' during Ukraine visit
Sánchez and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, along with international journalists and the Ukrainian military, in front of a destroyed building in the town of Borodyanka on April 21st. Screenshot: Pedro Sánchez/Twitter

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez condemned Thursday the "atrocities" allegedly committed by Russian forces in the town of Borodyanka outside Kyiv during a visit to Ukraine with his Danish counterpart.

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"Shocked to witness the horror and atrocities of Putin's war on the streets of Borodyanka," Sánchez tweeted along with a video of his visit to the war-ravaged town.

"We will not leave the Ukrainian people alone," he added.

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The bodies of nine civilians, some showing signs of torture, were found Wednesday night in two graves around Borodyanka, a senior police official said.

 

The pullback of Russian forces from towns and villages around Kyiv left a trail of civilian deaths, beginning with discoveries in Bucha, that have led Ukrainian officials to accuse Russia of genocide.

Authorities in Kyiv say hundreds of bodies of  civilians have been found in areas controlled by Russian forces around the capital in the opening stages of the February 24 invasion.

Sánchez and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen arrived in Kyiv earlier on Thursday for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr  Zelensky, the Spanish government said in a statement.

Sánchez said on Wednesday he would convey to Zelensky the European Union and Spain's "clear engagement... for peace".

 

He said Spain would continue to work for an end to Russia's war in Ukraine, while also sending "all the humanitarian and military aid needed" and taking in Ukrainian refugees.

Spain has taken in 134,000 Ukrainians, of whom 64,000 have received temporary protection, including accommodation and a work permit.

Madrid has sent about a dozen planes to Ukraine carrying "hundreds of tonnes" of weapons and humanitarian supplies, Defence Minister Margarita Robles said on Monday.

In another sign of support for Kyiv, Sanchez announced on Monday that Spain would reopen its embassy in the Ukrainian capital "in a few days' time".

The embassy suspended activity the day after the Russian invasion on February 24th for security reasons.

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