Spain warns 'mere ceasefire' in Ukraine 'could serve to rearm Russia'

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares warned on Friday that a "mere ceasefire" in Ukraine would only "serve to allow Russia to rearm," reaffirming Madrid's commitment to "fair and long-lasting peace."

"For us, peace in Ukraine must be much more than a ceasefire. It must be a fair peace that respects democracy, freedom, and the sovereignty of Ukraine. It must be long-lasting," Albares told Spanish television channel La Sexta from the G20 summit in South Africa.

"It cannot be a mere ceasefire that may even serve to allow Russia to take a breather, to rearm itself ... and then in a couple of years, we could have another war of aggression," he said.

When asked about Vox leader Santiago Abascal's remarks at the ultra-conservative CPAC summit in Washington, in which he blamed Europe for Russia's war, Albares said, "These statements seem to me to be absolutely scandalous, anti-democratic, and contrary to the construction of Europe.

"We are at an absolutely crucial moment in which we all have to make decisions and know what values we stand on.

"Either we clearly position ourselves with Ukraine, with democratic values, with the values of European construction, or with the aggressor who started an illegal, unjust, unjustifiable war of aggression."