Russia drops Spain ship refueling request amid NATO uproar
Russia on Wednesday withdrew a request to refuel a fleet of Russian warships in Spain, as Britain and NATO allies piled pressure on Madrid over concerns that the ships could be used to ramp up air attacks in Syria.
Vasily Nioradze, spokesman at the Russian embassy in Madrid, said on Wednesday that the request has been canceled but gave no further details. The Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov and a task group of support vessels have steamed through the North Sea and English Channel in recent days heading to the Mediterranean Sea. NATO allies, including Britain, had been following the small flotilla. Some of the Russia ships had been due to take on supplies and fuel in Spain's North African enclave of Cueta. It remains unclear how many would have been in real need of fuel.
At talks between NATO defense ministers in Brussels, U.K. Defense Secretary Michael Fallon said Britain "would be extremely concerned if a NATO member should consider assisting a Russian carrier group that might end up bombing Syria."
