The

Russian Federation Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

and the

Kingdom of Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, a

member state of the European Union The European Union (EU) is a political and economic union of Lists of member states of the European Union, 27 member states that are party to the EU's Treaties of the European Union, founding treaties, and thereby subject to the privileges and ...

, have bilateral

foreign relations Foreign policy, also known as external policy, is the set of strategies and actions a State (polity), state employs in its interactions with other states, unions, and international entities. It encompasses a wide range of objectives, includ ...

. Spain and the

Grand Duchy of Moscow The Grand Principality of Moscow, or Muscovy, known as the Principality of Moscow until 1389, was a late medieval Russian monarchy. Its capital was the city of Moscow. Originally established as a minor principality in the 13th century, the gra ...

first exchanged

envoy Envoy or Envoys may refer to: Diplomacy * Diplomacy, in general * Envoy (title) * Special envoy, a type of Diplomatic rank#Special envoy, diplomatic rank Brands *Airspeed Envoy, a 1930s British light transport aircraft *Envoy (automobile), an au ...

s in 1520s; regular embassies were established in 1722. The two countries share a long history of relations, characterized at times by close cooperation and at other times by deep hostility.

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

-Spanish relations, once terminated after the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

, were gradually reestablished starting in 1963 and were fully established by 1977. Trade between the two countries amounted to two billion

euro The euro (currency symbol, symbol: euro sign, €; ISO 4217, currency code: EUR) is the official currency of 20 of the Member state of the European Union, member states of the European Union. This group of states is officially known as the ...

s in 2008. In March 2009, the two countries signed an energy agreement providing national energy companies access to other party's domestic markets.

Muscovy and Imperial Russia

Official contacts between the

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire, sometimes referred to as the Hispanic Monarchy (political entity), Hispanic Monarchy or the Catholic Monarchy, was a colonial empire that existed between 1492 and 1976. In conjunction with the Portuguese Empire, it ushered ...

and the

go back to 1519, when King

Charles I of Spain Charles V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (as Charles I) from 1516 to 1556, and Lord of the Netherlands as titular Duke of Burgundy (as Charles II) fr ...

notified Grand Duke

Vasili III of Russia Vasili III Ivanovich (; 25 March 14793 December 1533) was Grand Prince of Moscow and all Russia from 1505 until his death in 1533. He was the son of Ivan III and Sophia Paleologue and was christened with the name Gavriil (). Following on t ...

of his ascension to the throne of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

. In 1523, Yakov Polushkin delivered Vasili's response to the court at

Valladolid Valladolid ( ; ) is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and ''de facto'' capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the pr ...

, thus becoming the first Russian envoy to Spain. In 1525 Russian envoys Ivan Zasekin-Yaroslavsky and Semyon Borisov presented their

credentials A credential is a piece of any document that details a qualification, competence, or authority issued to an individual by a third party with a relevant or '' de facto'' authority or assumed competence to do so. Examples of credentials include ac ...

to Charles; they brought news of the discovery of the Americas to Muscovy. The

Spanish Inquisition The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition () was established in 1478 by the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, Catholic Monarchs, King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile and lasted until 1834. It began toward the end of ...

and especially the aftermath of the

Alhambra Decree The Alhambra Decree (also known as the Edict of Expulsion; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Decreto de la Alhambra'', ''Edicto de Granada'') was an edict issued on 31 March 1492 by the joint Catholic Monarchs of Spain, Isabella I of Castile and Ferdi ...

expelling Jews from the Kingdom were of particular interest to 16th-century Russian Orthodox clergy who had the interest to suppress the

Judaizers The Judaizers were a faction of the Jewish Christians, both of Jewish and non-Jewish origins, who regarded the Levitical laws of the Old Testament as still binding on all Christians. They tried to enforce Jewish circumcision upon the Gentile ...

heresy Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, particularly the accepted beliefs or religious law of a religious organization. A heretic is a proponent of heresy. Heresy in Heresy in Christian ...

within the

Russian Orthodox Church The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC; ;), also officially known as the Moscow Patriarchate (), is an autocephaly, autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox Christian church. It has 194 dioceses inside Russia. The Primate (bishop), p ...

.Hillgarth, p. 481 Muscovy, unlike contemporary European nations, studied the Inquisition not "as an example to avoid but a model to imitate". Another temporary contact was established by Pyotr Potemkin's embassy (1667–1668) during the reign of Alexis I of Russia.Hillgarth, p. 480 Regular embassies of the two countries were established by

Peter I of Russia Peter I (, ; – ), better known as Peter the Great, was the Tsar of all Russia from 1682 and the first Emperor of all Russia from 1721 until his death in 1725. He reigned jointly with his half-brother Ivan V until 1696. From this year, ...

and

Philip V of Spain Philip V (; 19 December 1683 – 9 July 1746) was List of Spanish monarchs, King of Spain from 1 November 1700 to 14 January 1724 and again from 6 September 1724 to his death in 1746. His total reign (45 years and 16 days) is the longest in the ...

in 1722; in 1723, the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

also opened a

consulate A consulate is the office of a consul. A type of mission, it is usually subordinate to the state's main representation in the capital of that foreign country (host state), usually an embassy (or, only between two Commonwealth countries, a ...

Cádiz Cádiz ( , , ) is a city in Spain and the capital of the Province of Cádiz in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia. It is located in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula off the Atlantic Ocean separated fr ...

. Prince Sergey Golitsyn served as the first Russian ambassador to Spain; duke Diego Francisco de Liria, who also inherited the Jacobite title of Duke of Berwick, served as ambassador of Spain in Russia. However, after the unexpected death of Peter II of Russia, Spain declared the ascension of Anna of Russia unlawful and severed diplomatic relations until 1759. De Liria, who closely watched the events of 1730, provided an important account of Anna's ascension. In 1799–1801 Spain severed ties after

Paul I of Russia Paul I (; – ) was Emperor of Russia from 1796 until his assassination in 1801. Paul remained overshadowed by his mother, Catherine the Great, for most of his life. He adopted the Pauline Laws, laws of succession to the Russian throne—rules ...

assumed the Catholic title of Grand Master of

Knights Hospitaller The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic military order. It was founded in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century and had headquarters there ...

; in 1833–1856 Russia closed the embassies, denying legitimacy of

Isabella II of Spain Isabella II (, María Isabel Luisa de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias; 10 October 1830 – 9 April 1904) was Queen of Spain from 1833 until her deposition in 1868. She is the only queen regnant in the history of unified Spain. Isabella wa ...

. Apart from these two conflicts, relationships were uneventful; the two countries were never engaged in direct war against each other. In 1756–1763 they were allies in the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

. During the

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

the two countries were both allies and foes, but never engaged each other directly. While Russian intelligentsia commented favorably regarding colonial rebels during the

decolonization of the Americas The decolonization of the Americas occurred over several centuries as most of the countries in the Americas gained their independence from European rule. The American Revolution was the first in the Americas, and the British defeat in the Amer ...

, Tsar Alexander I (1777-1825) supported the efforts to suppress rebellion by Spain's King

Ferdinand VII Ferdinand VII (; 14 October 1784 – 29 September 1833) was King of Spain during the early 19th century. He reigned briefly in 1808 and then again from 1813 to his death in 1833. Before 1813 he was known as ''el Deseado'' (the Desired), and af ...

(1784-1833). Plans for sales of warships were kept secret to avoid British interference. In August 1817, Russia sold the

Spanish Navy The Spanish Navy, officially the Armada, is the Navy, maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces and one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Spanish Navy was responsible for a number of major historic achievements in navigation ...

five

ships of the line A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactic known as the line of battle, which involved the two column ...

and three

frigates A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...

. They were delivered to

in February 1818. Russia ignored the independent

Latin American Latin Americans (; ) are the citizenship, citizens of Latin American countries (or people with cultural, ancestral or national origins in Latin America). Latin American countries and their Latin American diaspora, diasporas are Metroethnicity, ...

states until the late 19th century. In 1893, Director of Police Pyotr Nikolayevich Durnovo caused a minor diplomatic incident by ordering secret agents to steal correspondence between the Spanish Ambassador and his mistress, a prostitute whom Durnovo had become smitten with. The crisis ended when the ambassador complained to Tsar Alexander III, who dismissed Durnovo. During the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...

Alfonso XIII Alfonso XIII (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Alfonso León Fernando María Jaime Isidro Pascual Antonio de Borbón y Habsburgo-Lorena''; French language, French: ''Alphonse Léon Ferdinand Marie Jacques Isidore Pascal Antoine de Bourbon''; 17 May ...

attempted the exfiltration of the Romanov family from

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

after the

abdication of Nicholas II Emperor of Russia, Emperor Nicholas II abdicated the throne of the Russian Empire on 2 March (Old Style, O.S.) / 15 March (New Style, N.S.) 1917, in the midst of World War I and the February Revolution. The Emperor renounced the throne on be ...

Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia, Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna was born in

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

on December 23, 1953 and, currently, she lives in the Spanish capital with her son George Mikhailovich Romanov, who was born on March 13, 1981

Soviet period

The

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

established diplomatic relations with the

Second Spanish Republic The Spanish Republic (), commonly known as the Second Spanish Republic (), was the form of democratic government in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The Republic was proclaimed on 14 April 1931 after the deposition of Alfonso XIII, King Alfonso XIII. ...

on July 28, 1933. Moscow for years tried to purify the Spanish Communist Party by expelling

anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and Political movement, movement that seeks to abolish all institutions that perpetuate authority, coercion, or Social hierarchy, hierarchy, primarily targeting the state (polity), state and capitalism. A ...

and

Trotskyist Trotskyism (, ) is the political ideology and branch of Marxism developed by Russian revolutionary and intellectual Leon Trotsky along with some other members of the Left Opposition and the Fourth International. Trotsky described himself as an ...

members, but the process took years and was finally handled by outside Communists sent to Spain in the

who exposed and executed opponents. Ambassador Marsel Rosenberg (1896–1938), his adviser and successor Leon Gaikis (1898–1937), and Consul-general

Vladimir Antonov-Ovseenko Vladimir Alexandrovich Antonov-Ovseenko (; ; 9 March 1883 – 10 February 1938), real surname Ovseenko, party aliases 'Bayonet' () and 'Nikita' (), literary pseudonym A. Galsky (), was a prominent Bolshevik leader, Soviet statesman, mili ...

(1883–1938) arrived in Madrid in 1936, when

was already underway. The three were soon recalled to Moscow and executed for an alleged Trotskist conspiracy. The Soviet Union actively supported the Republican faction through the course of the Civil War with military advisers, "volunteers" and weapons supplied in exchange for Bank of Spain gold reserves later known as Moscow gold (''see

Foreign involvement in the Spanish Civil War The international response to the Spanish Civil War included many non-Spaniards participating in combat and advisory positions. The governments of Italy, Germany and, to a lesser extent, Portugal contributed money, munitions, manpower and support t ...

''). The monument to Soviet volunteers in Madrid, inaugurated in 1989 by mayor Juan Barranco Gallardo and Soviet ambassador Sergey Romanovsky, lists 182 names of identified Soviet combatants killed during the war. With the fall of Republicans and the victory of the Nationalists in 1939, the Soviet Union lost all ties with Spain, now under Franco. During World War II the Blue Division of Spanish volunteers in the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

fought against the Soviet

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

on the Eastern Front until

Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (born Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco Bahamonde; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general and dictator who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces i ...

removed them. Franco steered away from direct participation in the war and maintained Spain's neutrality. Spain's relations with the Soviets after World War II were described as "the worst, though hardly the most problematic",Payne, p. 531 culminating in

Nikita Khrushchev Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (– 11 September 1971) was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and the Premier of the Soviet Union, Chai ...

's speech against Franco's regime in the

United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its Seventy-ninth session of th ...

on October 1, 1960 and Franco's ban on the

vs.

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

game of the 1960 European Nations' Cup scheduled earlier in the same year. Soon, however, the same leaders began gradual reestablishment of contacts. In April 1963 Khrushchev and Franco exchanged letters on

disarmament Disarmament is the act of reducing, limiting, or abolishing Weapon, weapons. Disarmament generally refers to a country's military or specific type of weaponry. Disarmament is often taken to mean total elimination of weapons of mass destruction, ...

and the fate of Julián Grimau; in January 1964 Franco appealed to Khrushchev again. According to Soviet explanation of events, the move was initiated by the Spanish government. Until 1969, relations were informally maintained through Soviet and Spanish embassies in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. In 1967 Spanish and Soviet representatives agreed to open their seaports to ships carrying flag of the other country; in 1969 the Soviet state-owned Black Sea Shipping Company opened an office in Madrid – the first Soviet establishment in Spain since the Civil War. This office, staffed by professional diplomats, and headed by Sergey Bogomolov, who relocated to Madrid from

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, doubled as the ''de facto'' Soviet

. The two countries signed an agreement on foreign trade in 1972. It promoted amicable diplomatic relations and the strategic partnership between the two countries. They established permanent trading missions in 1973; these offices assumed and maintained consular duties. Igor Ivanov, future foreign minister of independent Russia, has served in Madrid in 1973–1983. After Franco's death, the Soviet Union and Spain reestablished full diplomatic relations on February 9, 1977. Bogomolov assumed the title of Soviet ambassador and presented his

to king

Juan Carlos I of Spain Juan Carlos I (; Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias, born 5 January 1938) is a member of the Spanish royal family who reigned as King of Spain from 22 November 1975 until Abdication of Juan Carlos I, his abdic ...

on May 5, 1977. Relations of this period were not exactly friendly, marred with mutual expulsion of alleged spies operating under

diplomatic immunity Diplomatic immunity is a principle of international law by which certain foreign government officials are recognized as having legal immunity from the jurisdiction of another country.

; things got worse when Spain was admitted into

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

in 1981, an act regarded by the USSR as a "violation of Soviet interests". After Bogomolov moved up to a senior position in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1978, he was replaced by Yuri Dubinin, who steered Soviet policy in Spain through the last phase of the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

, until 1986. Dubinin actively promoted the idea of a state visit by Juan Carlos to Moscow; only after five years of preparations did Andrei Gromyko approve the visit that materialized in May 1984. Alexander Igorevich Kuznetsov, former (2005 to 2012) Russian ambassador to Spain and

Andorra Andorra, officially the Principality of Andorra, is a Sovereignty, sovereign landlocked country on the Iberian Peninsula, in the eastern Pyrenees in Southwestern Europe, Andorra–France border, bordered by France to the north and Spain to A ...

, has served in Madrid under Dubinin in 1982–1986. The Embassy of Russia in Madrid, inherited from the Soviet Union, was built in 1986–1991. The land lot at 155, Calle de Velázquez, was provided to the Soviets in 1980, but was loaded with

zoning In urban planning, zoning is a method in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into land-use "zones", each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for ...

regulations limiting building height to 6 meters, presence of

Spanish Armed Forces The Spanish Armed Forces are in charge of guaranteeing the sovereignty and independence of the Spain, Kingdom of Spain, defending its territorial integrity and the constitutional order, according to the functions entrusted to them by the Spanish ...

cables running underground and a

gypsy {{Infobox ethnic group , group = Romani people , image = , image_caption = , flag = Roma flag.svg , flag_caption = Romani flag created in 1933 and accepted at the 1971 World Romani Congress , po ...

squat town sprawling above – these obstacles held off construction for years. The building was initially designed by painter Ilya Glazunov; Glazunov later contributed interior design, building structure was redesigned by architect Anatoly Polikarpov.

Russian Federation

1991-2021

Spain and post-Communist Russia established diplomatic relations on December 9, 1991. This resulted in improved economic, trade, and cultural relations. There were museum exhibition exchanges and several visits between the two countries' leaders including Prime Minister

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...

, Russian President

Dmitry Medvedev Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev (born 14 September 1965) is a Russian politician and lawyer who has served as Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia since 2020. Medvedev was also President of Russia between 2008 and 2012 and Prime Mini ...

, and Spanish King Juan Carlos I. They dealt with the issue of Kosovo's independence from Serbia, Spain's chairmanship of the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

(EU) in 2010, and foreign energy policy. Igor Ivanov, a veteran of the Soviet embassy in Madrid, was appointed Ambassador of Russia to Spain and served in Madrid until 1994. In April 1994 president

Boris Yeltsin Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin (1 February 1931 – 23 April 2007) was a Soviet and Russian politician and statesman who served as President of Russia from 1991 to 1999. He was a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) from 1961 to ...

became the first Russian head of state to pay a state visit to Spain. Juan Carlos visited Russia in 2002, 2006, 2008 and 2012. Spain's share in Russian foreign trade in early 2000s hovered at just above 1% of Russian exports (dominated by oil and raw materials); Spanish exports to Russia were significantly lower (2001: 488 million US dollars vs. 890 million). In 2008, according to

, foreign trade levelled at 2 billion

Euro The euro (currency symbol, symbol: euro sign, €; ISO 4217, currency code: EUR) is the official currency of 20 of the Member state of the European Union, member states of the European Union. This group of states is officially known as the ...

(less than 1% of either country's foreign trade) while that between Russia and other countries comparable to Spain is measured in tens of billion euro. Spain's share in

foreign direct investment A foreign direct investment (FDI) is an ownership stake in a company, made by a foreign investor, company, or government from another country. More specifically, it describes a controlling ownership an asset in one country by an entity based i ...

Russian economy The economy of Russia is an Developing country, emerging and developing, World Bank high-income economy, high-income, industrialized, mixed economy, mixed Market economy, market-oriented economy. —Rosefielde, Steven, and Natalia Vennikova. " ...

remains insignificant, the largest investment (as at 2003), at 319 million US dollars, has been made by Segura Consulting. In December 2000 the relations were strained by Spain' refusal to extradite fugitive banker and media executive Vladimir Gusinsky. Gusinsky, arrested and released in Spain, emigrated to

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

in April 2001. During the most recent state visit of Russian President

to Spain in March 2009, the two countries signed an energy agreement granting Spanish companies greater access to Russian fossil fuels in exchange for easing Spanish regulations on the purchase of Spanish energy companies by Russian businesses. According to Spanish Prime Minister

José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (; born 4 August 1960) is a Spanish politician and member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE). He was the Prime Minister of Spain being elected for two terms, in the 2004 and 2008 general elections. O ...

, "The memorandum means greater security in Spain's energy supplies and it guarantees better access for our companies to Russian energy reserves". The memorandum was followed by an agreement between

Gazprom PJSC Gazprom ( rus, Газпром, , ɡɐsˈprom) is a Russian State-owned enterprise, majority state-owned multinational Energy industry, energy corporation headquartered in the Lakhta Center in Saint Petersburg. The Gazprom name is a contract ...

and Gas Natural that gives the Spanish side access to Gazprom's export pipelines and, potentially, Shtokman gas field output, in exchange for a stake in Spanish electric utilities. In 2016, the Spanish Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Ignacio Ybanez, told

officials Spain's support for constructive relations and cooperation between Russia and NATO, so the country defends the continuation of the political dialogue, said the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 2019, Spain and Russia regained their cooperation, deteriorated by economic and political tides. Of this, many evidence was recently provided, ranging from the inauguration at the

Pushkin Museum The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts (, abbreviated as , ''GMII'') is the largest museum of European art in Moscow. It is located in Volkhonka street, just opposite the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. The International musical festival Sviatos ...

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

, of an exhibition of works by

Pablo Picasso Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, Ceramic art, ceramicist, and Scenic ...

to the agreement to create an alliance between eight public universities in the two countries. Relations deteriorate in the short term when in May the Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell in interview to Spanish newspaper '' El Periodico de Catalunya'' called Russia "old enemy" of Europe. Moscow, believing that he was referring to an unfriendly statement between Spain and Russia, cited the Spanish ambassador to Russia, Fernando Valderrama Pareja, to express the disappointment of Borrell's words. The Spanish minister himself said his statements were misunderstood.

declared that "it is a new nonsense, the alleged threat from Russia to Spain, which is in another part of the European continent" and stressed that the Russians love Spain and wish it prosperity and all the best. He also added that "as you know, the

welcomed thousands of Spanish children, most stayed in our country," he recalled, and "I have good relations with King Emeritus

Juan Carlos I Juan Carlos I (; Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias, born 5 January 1938) is a member of the Spanish royal family who reigned as King of Spain from 22 November 1975 until Abdication of Juan Carlos I, his abdic ...

and now King

Felipe VI Felipe VI (; Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Grecia; born 30 January 1968) is King of Spain. In accordance with the Spanish Constitution, as monarch, he is head of state and commander-in-chief of the Spanish Armed For ...

," Putin stressed. The Spanish monarch, Felipe VI, launching a Europeanist message in the face of the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated ...

held in May, defended Russia's "key" role for economic prosperity. The deputy governor of

Moscow Oblast Moscow Oblast (, , informally known as , ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). With a population of 8,524,665 (Russian Census (2021), 2021 Census) living in an area of , it is one of the most densely populate ...

, Vadim Jromov, said, in exclusive statements to '' The Diplomat'', that there are several areas of cooperation between Russia and Spain “very broadly favorable to both” and "we consider that the business world has nothing to do with sanctions and we will continue to support friendly relations between Spain and Russia, which are already hundreds of years old and are not going to be changed by particular decisions taken at any given time”

The Minister Counselor of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Spain, Dmitry Sokolov (diplomat), Dmitry Sokolov, classified the relations between Spain and Russia as excellent and declared that “we don't mess with the internal politics of Spain. The differences and internal disputes of any country must be resolved based on the Constitution, laws and dialogue between the political forces”

Both countries celebrated 300 years of diplomatic and cultural relations that led to the inauguration of permanent embassies in 1723, recalling that "500 years ago the first official contacts between the Spanish court and the Muscovite Duchy took place." In 2020, the representative of Russian diplomacy said in the margins of the 11th edition of the Gaidar forum, Gaidar Forum to ignore whether contacts have already been established between Moscow and the new Spanish Government, and assured that Russia is interested in "deepening the traditional friendly relations and of association "with Spain. "We believe that there is no reason for our nations to be guided by the politics of others and we trust that Russian-Spanish relations, with the current Government - or with any other - have a good future," he said. The Russian ambassador in Madrid, Yuri Korchagin, assured Efe that relations between Spain and Russia have been "excellent" with both the People's Party government and now with the

Spanish Socialist Workers' Party The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party ( , PSOE ) is a Social democracy, social democratic Updated as required.The PSOE is described as a social-democratic party by numerous sources: * * * * List of political parties in Spain, political party ...

. "Never, with democratic governments in Spain, have we had any problems or any impasse. There is always an interest in moving forward, promoting our relationship and friendship. Relations between Russia and Spain are friendly," he said

He also declared: "If Spain had a more active or proactive role in re-establishing bridges ( Russia–European Union relations, between the EU and Russia), it would play a historic role that would benefit everyone.

Spain, along with rest of the

(EU) member states, positioned against Russia during the

2020–2021 Belarusian protests The 2020–2021 Belarusian protests were a series of mass Demonstration (political), political demonstrations and protests against the Government of Belarus, Belarusian government and President Alexander Lukashenko. The largest anti-government ...

and for the arrest of opposition leader

Alexei Navalny Alexei Anatolyevich Navalny (, ; 4 June 197616 February 2024) was a Russian Opposition to Vladimir Putin in Russia, opposition leader, anti-corruption in Russia, corruption activist and political prisoner. He founded the Anti-Corruption Found ...

2022-present

After the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

started, Spain, as one of the EU member states, imposed sanctions on Russia, and Russia added all EU countries to the list of " unfriendly nations". In light of the EU sanctions, Spanish authorities started to impound a number of

superyacht A superyacht or megayacht is a large and luxurious pleasure vessel. There are no official or agreed upon definitions for such yachts, but these terms are regularly used to describe professionally crewed motor or sailing yachts, ranging from to ...

s believed to belong to

Russian oligarchs Russian oligarchs () are business oligarchs of the former Soviet republics who rapidly accumulated wealth in the 1990s via the Russian privatisation that followed the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The failing Soviet state left the ownershi ...

. On 5 April 2022, the Spanish foreign minister announced the expulsion of 25 Russian diplomats and embassy staff, deemed to "represent a threat to the security of our country" (Spain). However, on July 11, 2022, news broke that Spain's purchase of Russian gas had increased, making Russia the second largest supplier of gas to Spain, only behind the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. This is due, according to the Minister of Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, to "prior agreements" to the invasion of Ukraine. Russia thus surpassed

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

in the ranking of the largest gas suppliers to Spain, due to the diplomatic crisis that Algeria and Spain are suffering, which caused a collapse of Algerian gas imports, after Spain changed its position to a pro-

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

position regarding the

Western Sahara conflict The Western Sahara conflict is an ongoing conflict between the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic/Polisario Front and the Morocco, Kingdom of Morocco. The conflict originated from an insurgency by the Polisario Front against Spanish colonial ...

Trade

In 2021 Spain exported $2.76 billion worth of goods to Russia with clothing being the main item. Russia exported $5.54 billion of goods with refined oil as the top product. Between 1995 and 2021 Spanish exports have risen by an average of 7.94% p.a. whilst Russian exports have risen by 5.77% on average. August 2023 saw Spain export €66.2m and import €93.2 million in the month showing a large fall in trade and a closing of the trade gap.

Resident diplomatic missions

* Russia has an embassy in

and a consulate-general in

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

. * Spain has an embassy in

and a consulate-general in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

. File:Russian Embassy in Madrid (Spain) 02.jpg, Embassy of Russia in Madrid File:Consulat rus Barcelona vista frontal.JPG, Consulate-General of Russia in Barcelona File:Embassy of Spain in Moscow, after restoration.jpg, Embassy of Spain in Moscow File:Фурштатская 9 02.jpg, Consulate-General of Spain in Saint Petersburg

References

External links

Informative site: 2011, "Spain Year" in Russia and "Russia Year" in Spain

Sources

* Alba, Victor, and Stephen Schwartz. ''Spanish Marxism Versus Soviet Communism: A History of the POUM in the Spanish Civil War'' (Transaction Publishers, 2008). * Alpert, Michael. ''A new international history of the Spanish Civil War'' (Springer, 2004). * * Anikeeva, N.; Dubinin, Vu. "Moscow-Madrid: Cooperation Milestones." ''International Affairs: A Russian Journal of World Politics, Diplomacy & International Relations'' (2011) 57#3 pp 214–221, covers 1986 to 2011. * Cattell, David Tredwell. ''Soviet Diplomacy and the Spanish Civil War'' (U of California Press, 1957). * Dubinin, Yu. "Russian-Spanish Relations: Notes on the Recent Past" ''International Affairs: A Russian Journal of World Politics, Diplomacy & International Relations'' (2011) 57#2 pp 270–278, covers 1978 to 1986. * Fasey, Rosemary J. "Writers in the service of revolution: Russia's ideological and literary impact on Spanish poetry and prose, 1925-36" (PhD. Diss. The University of St Andrews, 2003
online
* * * * * Núñez Seixas, Xosé M. "Russia and the Russians in the Eyes of the Spanish Blue Division soldiers, 1941–4." ''Journal of Contemporary History'' 52.2 (2017): 352–374
online
* * Puzzo, Dante Anthony. ''Spain and the great powers, 1936-1941\'' (Columbia UP, 1962). * Sierra Blas, Verónica. "Educating the communists of the future: notes on the educational life of the Spanish children evacuated to the USSR during the Spanish Civil War." ''Paedagogica Historica'' 51.4 (2015): 496–519. * Simão, Licínia. "Portuguese and Spanish Relations with Moscow: Contributions from the EU's Periphery to the CFSP." ''Journal of Contemporary European Studies'' 19.2 (2011): 213–223. * Volosyuk, O. V. "Russian Historiography on Russian-Spanish Relations in the XVIIIth century: traditions and new methods." ''RUDN Journal of World History'' 4 (2010): 44–57 in Russian {{DEFAULTSORT:Russia-Spain relations Bilateral relations of Spain