“Spain is committed to NATO and the security of Europe,” Pedro Sánchez assured in a message posted on Twitter. The President of the Government has had a conversation with the president of this organization, Jens Stoltenberg, in which he has conveyed this message. What’s more, the head of the Executive has shown his support for the “sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine”. “We trust that diplomacy and dialogue on the path of de-escalation in this crisis”, he claimed.
Spain is committed to @BORN and the security of Europe, as I have reiterated in my conversation with @jensstoltenberg. We support the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and trust that diplomacy and dialogue will be the way to de-escalate this crisis.
– Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) January 23, 2022
The president’s words come after the foreign minister, José Manuel Albares, has requested this Sunday to appear urgently in Congress to account for Spain’s position in this conflict. For the moment, he avoids talking about a future scenario in which there are Spanish soldiers stationed in Ukraine, but warns that the Executive is “prepared for any eventuality“.
Albares asked this Sunday at his own request to go to Congress “before the extraordinary situation that is developing around the crisis in Ukraine.” Foreign sources explain that the ministers will explain Spain’s position regarding the conflict, as well as the support that the Government has given to the OTAN. In addition, he will report on the conclusions reached at the Council of Foreign Ministers of the EU, which will also be attended by the US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken.
After Sánchez claimed last Saturday that it is the “moment for diplomacy”, Albares assured this Sunday that Spain is committed to “dialogue”, but pointed out that the Government will be together with the European Union and NATO “in deterrence if Dialogue does not bear fruit. In an interview in El Mundo, he pointed out that the Executive is “prepared for any eventuality.”
He did not want to talk about “political fiction” when asked if he can guarantee that in a few months there will be no Spanish soldiers on Ukrainian soil. “The current moment is to find the formulas that allow us to travel the path of relaxation, dialogue and de-escalation,” he said. A speech that softens the tensions with its partners from United We Can who have recovered the ‘No to war’.
The calls
The internal friction of the coalition government they served, once again, Pablo Casado to charge against Sánchez. “Are you going to put order in your government so that they stop insulting your defense minister and stop saying that what you have decided on Ukraine is nonsense?” the president of the PP questioned the chief executive in reference to some statements by the former leader of the purples, paul churches, about the person in charge of Defense, Margarita Robles.
In addition, Casado assured that he has not yet received a call from Sánchez to inform him about his plans regarding Ukraine. “There he is…”, he said this Sunday, somewhat annoyed, after last Friday he offered the Government his support for any decision on Spain’s support for the NATO. “The government has not told us anything“, he insisted.