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What did Spain's pact mean for Kyiv's backers?
Summary
A look back at the security agreement and aid pledge signed days before 29 May 2024, and the ceasefire talk that surrounded it.
What was on the table for Ukraine as of 29 May 2024? Two developments from the preceding days framed the political picture: a new security pact with Spain and renewed talk of a ceasefire.
On 27 May 2024, Spain's Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, signed a bilateral security pact with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He also pledged €1 billion (US$1.1 billion) of military aid to Ukraine, adding to the military support flowing to Kyiv during the war.
Three days earlier, on 24 May 2024, sources claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin was interested in negotiating a ceasefire that would freeze the conflict at the current frontlines.
The two items pointed in different directions. One showed a partner committing money and a formal bilateral arrangement to Ukraine's defence. The other was a report, attributed to sources, of a possible Russian approach built on freezing the lines where they stood.
By 29 May 2024, both stood as part of the political backdrop to the war: continued Western military backing on one side, and a reported Russian interest in a freeze on the other.
