The mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, and the Ukrainian ambassador to Spain, Serhii Pohoreltsev, participated this Monday in a flag-raising ceremony next to the Ukrainian Embassy, with which the City Council wants to symbolize its support against the «illegal, inhuman, unjust and cruel invasion» started 250 days ago.
«This flag symbolizes the fight for everything that should be normal,» stressed Almeida, who celebrated Ukraine’s military successes against the «cruel machinery» of the Russian President, Vlaidmir Putin.
In this sense, he defended that the flag flying since Monday in the square of Lesya Ukrainka is a sign that Madrid is a «supportive and committed city» to the struggle of Ukraine and its «heroism».
The deputy mayor, Begoña Villacís, has pointed out for her part that it is «an act of recognition of courage.» «You have us on your side. We are on the side of peace, justice and human rights,» she emphasized.
THE FLAG WILL RETURN TO OCCUPIED TERRITORIES The ambassador is confident that «the Ukrainian flag will return to all the territories temporarily occupied by the enemy» in Ukraine and thanked the support of both the Madrid City Council and the central government.
«It is very important for us to have all kinds of institutional support,» said Pohoreltsev, also grateful for the «warm welcome» extended to Ukrainian refugees. «The situation in Ukraine is still very complicated,» he admitted.
The ambassador confirmed contacts with both the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, although he avoided going into details about future Spanish aid. He does hope that it will serve to «protect the civilian population against air attacks with missiles and drones».
