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Spain's €1 billion pledge and Kharkiv's toll
Summary
A look back at a security pact signed in the shadow of deadly strikes on a Ukrainian city.
What did Spain's pledge offer Ukraine on 27 May 2024, and what was it answering?
On that date, Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sánchez signed a bilateral security pact with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Spain also pledged €1 billion (US$1.1 billion) of military aid to Ukraine.
Two days earlier, on 25 May 2024, Russian strikes hit a hardware store and a residential area in Kharkiv. At least fourteen people were killed and 58 others were injured.
Why the timing matters
The two events are separate, and it would be wrong to claim that one caused the other. Set side by side, though, they show the pairing that defined this stage of the war: continuing attacks on Ukrainian cities, and a continuing effort by partners to formalise support through written commitments and funding.
For Kyiv, a bilateral pact with a pledge of money attached is a concrete signal. For the people of Kharkiv, the immediate reality that weekend was the casualty count from a strike on places where civilians shopped and lived.
