NATO ships in the Black Sea. File photoMADRID, Jan 31The dispatch of Spanish ships to the Black Sea in connection with the situation around Ukraine was «too dramatized» in the country, we are talking about the usual participation in NATO operations, said Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles. «This scenario (sending NATO military units to the territory of Ukraine. — ed. ) has never been considered. In the (charter — ed.) of NATO there is an article five — when an attack occurs on a member country, the rest must answer. But in this case, Ukraine is not a country that is part of NATO. And this scenario — for the Spanish troops to be in Ukraine it was never staged at all. I think it was over-dramatized,» Robles said in an interview with Onda Cero radio station.Nine Spanish parties opposed sending troops to the Black SeaEarlier, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that there were no plans to deploy NATO combat groups in Ukraine. According to the minister, excessive attention to the news about Spanish ships was due to the fact that «(many in the country — ed.) do not know what is the participation of Spain in NATO». «The missions that have now been accelerated were previously envisaged by Spain as a serious and reliable member of NATO. Spain has been participating in permanent maritime groups that are located in the Mediterranean for many years,» Robles recalled. It is within the framework of this mission that the Meteoro patrol ship, the Blas de Lezo frigate and the Sella minesweeper are currently sailing, she explained. Robles also recalled that Spain has long been involved in patrolling the Baltic airspace. Earlier, Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles said that Spain with the situation around Ukraine has accelerated the dispatch of warships to the Black Sea as part of the NATO mission. She also said that Spain could take part in the deployment of a NATO air mission in Bulgaria, if such a decision is made. The minister said that Spain is always involved in all deployments organized by NATO, while she called for a de-escalation around Ukraine. Russia has repeatedly rejected accusations of the West and Ukraine of «aggressive actions», saying that it does not threaten anyone and is not going to attack, and statements about «Russian aggression» are used as an excuse to deploy more NATO military equipment near Russian borders. The Russian Foreign Ministry previously noted that Western statements about «Russian aggression» and the possibility of helping Kiev defend itself against it are both ridiculous and dangerous. At the same time, Kiev and Western states have recently expressed concern about the alleged increase in «aggressive actions» sides of Russia near the borders of Ukraine. Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov said that Russia is moving troops within its territory and at its own discretion. According to him, this does not threaten anyone and should not worry anyone. As Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier, Russia does not create any pretexts for a conflict situation around Ukraine. Russia has also repeatedly stated that it is counterproductive to talk to it in the language of sanctions.
