Spain bars Russian fleet from refuelling
SPAIN has cancelled plans to refuel Russian warships heading for Syria after Britain warned it would have civilian lives “on its conscience”.
The Russian flotilla – led by the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov – had been expected to take on fuel and supplies today at the port of Ceuta, a Spanish territory on the north coast of Africa.
But officials in Madrid yesterday said Russia had withdrawn its request amid mounting pressure on the government to cancel the stop. Defence Secretary Michael Fallon had warned that Britain would be “extremely concerned” if a Nato member assisted a carrier group that later carried out attacks on Syrian civilians.
Speaking in Brussels, where Nato defence ministers are meeting, Fallon said: “Our concern is that any Nato member should consider assisting a Russian carrier group that is heading for Syria and might end up bombing Syrian civilians.
“That clearly wouldn’t be right and runs counter to the solidarity of Nato.
“If that carrier group heads down to the eastern Mediterranean, as Moscow has announced, and then gets involved in striking in Syria and bombing civilians then that will be on Madrid’s conscience.”
Spain said it had withdrawn its permission for the refuelling after Russia was unable to pledge that the warships would not be used to launch bomb attacks in Syria. It is not known where the boats will now take on fuel. Greece, another Nato member, and Malta, which is part of the EU but not Nato, have previously allowed Russian navy ships to use their ports.
Last week Royal Navy vessels monitored the flotilla as it moved through the English Channel.
Spain, a Nato member, regularly allows Russian warships to stop in Ceuta, which faces the British territory of Gibraltar on Spain’s southern tip. But Nato said the prospect of Russia’s only aircraft carrier heading to the region did not “inspire confidence” that Moscow is seeking a political solution to the Syrian crisis. – Daily Mail