Relationship dossier
Russia
Spain
Relationship assessment
Relations strained by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, sanctions and reciprocal diplomatic expulsions
Russia toward Spain
-35Russia declared Spanish diplomatic staff persona non grata in 2022, responding to Spain’s expulsion of Russian diplomats. The measure added to the deterioration of bilateral relations over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Spain toward Russia
-35Spain expelled Russian diplomats in 2022 and has participated in EU sanctions against Russia following the invasion of Ukraine. These government actions have substantially strained relations.
Overall relationship
-40The relationship is shaped chiefly by the conflict over Ukraine and its bilateral consequences, including Spain’s participation in sanctions and reciprocal diplomatic expulsions. These disputes outweigh the limited evidence of ongoing cooperation in the bilateral relationship.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Russia–Spain relations have become substantially adversarial over Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Spain has participated in EU sanctions against Russia and expelled Russian diplomats; Russia responded by declaring Spanish diplomatic staff persona non grata. These actions have sharply strained bilateral relations, though the scope of remaining government cooperation is unclear.
Areas of tension
- Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Spain’s support for Ukraine
- Spain’s participation in EU sanctions against Russia
- Reciprocal expulsions of Russian and Spanish diplomatic staff
Key developments
Spain expelled 27 Russian diplomats following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russia declared 27 Spanish diplomatic staff persona non grata in response to Spain’s expulsion of Russian diplomats.
Major uncertainties
- The scope of bilateral cooperation that continues outside the Ukraine-related disputes is unclear.
- The extent of direct bilateral economic and consular engagement under sanctions is uncertain.