Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez apologized on Wednesday to French President Emmanuel Macron, who is visiting Madrid, after the Spanish Senate refused on Tuesday evening to approve the friendship treaty between the two countries, according to Agence France-Presse.
He said during a joint press conference with Macron: “I can only apologize for this vote,” describing as “unfortunate” the position of the right-wing opposition (the Popular Party), which has an absolute majority in the Senate and voted against the treaty.
He stressed that “it is not a treaty of friendship between the Spanish and French governments, but rather a treaty of friendship between two countries that consider themselves brothers and have a common future at the European level.”
As for Macron, he saw the result of the vote as “more of a stumble than a tragedy.” He said: “I can only express my regret for yesterday’s vote, but I respect it,” considering that the agreement in its current form is “good.”
Macron and Sanchez signed the Franco-Spanish Treaty of Friendship with initials in Barcelona in January 2023.
Subsequently, it was approved by the Spanish Chamber of Deputies, the National Assembly and the Senate of France.
However, the Spanish Popular Party, which has an absolute majority in the Senate, has been opposed since the drafting of an article stipulating that a member of the government of one country be invited to a session of the Council of Ministers of the other country at least once every three months.
On September 23, a few days before Macron began his official visit to Madrid, the Spanish judiciary considered that the treaty was compatible with the constitution as long as the two countries made it clear that the minister invited by the government of the other country would only participate in a separate meeting on the sidelines of the cabinet session.
France has previously signed four similar friendship treaties with European countries: Germany, Italy and Poland, in addition to Spain.
As for Spain, it has never signed a similar treaty except with Portugal and Morocco.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said today (Wednesday) that factories in Europe that produce weapons for Ukraine are legitimate and potential military targets for Russia, according to the Reuters news agency.
Zakharova added, in a press conference, that European countries are directly involved in the conflict through their military support for Ukraine, adding that such activities delay reaching a solution to the war.
This came in response to a question about Poland’s expression of readiness to host a factory to produce Patriot missile interceptors for Ukraine. NATO and a number of European countries say they will continue to do everything in their power to support Ukraine and help it repel Russian forces and shoot down drones and missiles.
Zakharova said: “Arms factories in European countries that produce weapons for Ukraine are potential military targets for Russia, and it should not be assumed that military factories outside Ukrainian territory that produce weapons for the Kiev regime will be safe.” Whoever believes that is wrong.”
She added: “European countries are directly involved in the Ukraine conflict. It is not limited to providing aid only. Indeed, through the opening of weapons factories and joint projects, it has become fully involved. This only leads to delaying the resolution of the conflict instead of bringing it closer to its resolution, as some powers in Europe believe or imagine.”
Russia targeted energy facilities in Ukraine on Wednesday in a massive attack with missiles and drones that killed at least four people, prompting the Ukrainian authorities to call for emergency measures in preparation for the winter, according to Agence France-Presse.
Kiev considered that the attack represented the beginning of an expected Russian campaign to disrupt electricity and heating supplies in the capital before the arrival of winter, in a repetition of a strategy adopted by Moscow throughout the war that has been going on for four and a half years.
At least four people were killed in Kiev and its environs, including a child whose body was found under the rubble of a destroyed residential building, after a night that witnessed continuous air raid warnings and repeated explosions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said three more people were killed in other regions of the country. Zelensky visited troops on the front and senior commanders coordinating a counterattack on Russian forces in the east.
Zelensky wrote on social media, accompanying his post with a video clip showing him in a command center, “Today I met here with the fighters who are carrying out several missions in the Liman sector, and I awarded them with official medals. I also spoke with the brigade commander about the tasks carried out by his unit.”
Sirens sounded across the capital, calling on residents to take shelter in shelters and metro stations, while warning of ballistic and cruise missiles, in addition to high-speed attack drones.
In Moscow, the Ministry of Defense announced that it had launched a “large-scale attack with missiles and drones” targeting Kiev and its surroundings, as well as the energy infrastructure.
The Ukrainian company Detec, the largest private energy provider in the country, reported that the electricity network was damaged and supplies were affected.
The company said in a statement: “Detec energy engineers were able to quickly restore electricity supply to 8,000 homes” after what it described as “another difficult night in the capital.”
Protecting the energy infrastructure is essential as winter approaches, noting that Russian strikes targeted this sector last year resulted in a power and heating outage at a time when the temperature reached minus 20 degrees Celsius.
Many in Kiev fear a repeat of this scenario, which prompts them to think about leaving the city as calls mount to evacuate vulnerable groups and people with disabilities.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the attacks also caused an interruption in water supplies and targeted “vital infrastructure” across the country.
Prime Minister Sergei Koretsky indicated that the strikes represent the beginning of a new Russian campaign targeting the energy sector ahead of winter.
He wrote on Telegram: “Since the summer, almost not a day has passed without the enemy attacking our energy infrastructure.”
Backup power sources
The authorities began assessing the extent of the damage resulting from the attacks, at a time when the Ukrainian energy network has been subjected to repeated strikes since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022.
Koretsky called on local authorities to ensure the readiness of backup power systems for vital facilities, and to expedite the completion of their installation and connection to the network.
In 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants against Russian military leaders at the time, against the backdrop of attacks on the Ukrainian energy network, which were considered to constitute war crimes that caused “excessive harm” to civilians.
Ukrainian authorities reported that Wednesday's strikes hit residential buildings and commercial facilities, causing fires and extensive damage to property and cars.
Kiev Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said that a driver working for the local public service company, Kiev Tiplo Energo, was killed in an attack on a warehouse, and two other people were killed in other locations.
The body of a child was found under the rubble of a demolished residential building in the Kiev region, according to emergency services.
Russia is now using newer drones powered by jet engines, which are distinguished by their high speed and difficulty in intercepting compared to traditional models such as the Iranian “Shahed”.
Zelensky repeatedly appealed to Kiev's allies to provide his country with additional military support, specifically American-made interceptor missiles capable of confronting ballistic missiles.
He wrote on Wednesday on the “X” platform: “Every interceptor missile actually saves lives. The closer we get to winter, the more we need this protection.”
On Tuesday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his concern about the escalation of daily attacks in Ukraine and the high number of civilian casualties on both sides.
After talks between the German and Russian foreign ministers on the sidelines of the United Nations meetings on Saturday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that Russia is “not interested” in holding serious talks to end the conflict.
On the other hand, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov confirmed before the United Nations that his country would achieve its military goals in Ukraine “whatever the circumstances.”
