Russia withdraws request for carrier battle group to refuel in Spain amid NATO pressure on Madrid
RT.com
26 Oct, 2016
Russia has withdrawn a request for its aircraft carrier group to be refuelled at the Spanish autonomous port of Ceuta, as the ships have already passed Gibraltar, a Russian Embassy source told RIA Novosti. Earlier, top NATO & EU officials expressed anger at reports of Spain’s decision to allow the stopover.
“We confirm that the request has been withdrawn,” an official of the Russian Embassy in Spain told RIA Novosti on Wednesday.
Earlier, Spanish newspaper El Mundo reported that the naval group led by the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov had already passed through the Strait of Gibraltar heading to the eastern Mediterranean Sea.
“The Russian Embassy in Madrid has just informed us that it is withdrawing the request for permission for stopovers for these ships and these stopovers have therefore been cancelled,” Spain’s Foreign Ministry later said, quoted by Reuters.
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