Europe prepares for 'secret' meeting on Ukraine?
European countries supporting Ukraine will hold a secret meeting in Madrid next week to coordinate efforts to increase military and financial support for Kiev, Spain's El Mundo newspaper reported.
Pro-Ukraine parties in Europe will meet secretly in Madrid next week to coordinate efforts to bolster support, the Spanish newspaper El Mundo reported on October 31. According to a government document cited by the newspaper, organizers are said to be maintaining “maximum secrecy” for the event, which is scheduled for November 4. Delegates from 35 countries have been instructed to leave their mobile phones in a designated room and not post information about the meeting on social media.
Participants are expected to discuss ways to increase military and financial aid to Kiev, as well as security guarantees. They will also coordinate measures to put additional pressure on Russia. Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares is expected to attend, El Mundo reported.
Earlier in October, the Kremlin argued that Ukrainian forces could not have carried out attacks on energy facilities deep inside Russian territory without direct support from Western intelligence agencies. Moscow has repeatedly said that Western military assistance would only escalate the conflict without changing the situation on the battlefield.
Recently, US President Donald Trump refused to provide long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine, warning of depleting the US arsenal. He also indefinitely postponed a planned face-to-face summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest, Hungary.
