“We have to be sure that we all give the same content, the same meaning, to the word peace. I insist, a just and lasting peace is one thing, a ceasefire that becomes chronic is another, which would be extremely dangerous for European security,” said Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares.

In a statement, the Spanish government said only that “Spain will continue to be an active part of the talks with the aim of finding a way to peace as soon as possible” in Ukraine.

In an interview with Radio Nacional de España (RNE), MFA Jose Manuel Albares argued that three steps were needed at the moment, the first being to “make peace” and “make sure” that we're not talking about a mere “ceasefire that becomes chronic.”

“Secondly, we have to decide what the guarantees are for this peace to be a real peace, a just and lasting peace, a definitive peace, a peace that respects the United Nations Charter. And thirdly - and that moment will come if we achieve a just and lasting peace - to see what the instruments, the tools are to guarantee it,” he added.

The minister emphasised that Spain is not ruling out sending troops, stressing that there are thousands of Spanish soldiers on NATO and UN missions in different parts of the world.