Spanish PM Sanchez pledges €817m in aid to Ukraine

Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez and Volodymyr Zelensky spoke of the hundreds of millions of euros flowing to Kiev from Madrid - as the Ukrainian leader demanded Europe 'follow Spain's example'.

"In total, we are therefore talking about Spain mobilising 817 million euros, first to support the Ukrainian army in its defence for the freedom and territorial integrity of Ukraine against the invader, secondly to protect its civilian population, and finally to promote the reconstruction and modernisation of the damaged infrastructure," said Sanchez.

"Now we also have the agreement of Spain's participation in the SAFE programme for more than 200 million euros in our joint production in the defence industry. It will be very notable and very important for the future. It is an example for other European countries to follow Spain's example," Zelensky added.

Neither spoke about the corruption row engulfing Ukraine, which has led to questions and concerns from some allies and Western media outlets about where exactly the money is going.

Sanchez has also been under fire for refusing to join NATO allies on the 5% GDP spending target - and domestically for the lack of disaster funding during last year's DANA storm cleanup.