USA He asked Spain to increase defense expenditure In the first bilateral contact of the Donald Trump administration since he returned to power on January 20. The call took place between Christopher Landau, the Undersecretary of the American State, and Diego Martínez Belío, secretary of Spanish state for foreign affairs and cooperation, Diego Martínez Belío. In the summary of the call it is not said that both have referred to the possible first open conflict that occurs for both countries: The possible rates in Spain for the purchase of oil from Venezuela, who are in the hands of the secretary of state, Marco Rubio.
“The Undersecretary of State Christopher Landau spoke today with the Secretary of State of Foreign Affairs and Spanish Cooperation, Diego Martínez Belío”, says the note published by the State Department. “Undersecretary Landau reiterated the strength of the association between the United States and Spain and invited Spain to increase her expenses in defense based on their commitments towards NATO. The Undersecretary and the Secretary of State spoke of the deepening of our ties in a wide range of mutual interests, including the strengthening of migration cooperation”, adds.
At the top of Wales of Wales in 2014, the allies of the Atlantic of the Alliance committed themselves to reaching a level of defense equivalent to 2% of the gross domestic product in 2024, that Spain is far from reaching. In the Spanish case, the intention of the government of Pedro Sánchez was to achieve this goal in 2029, but in full discussion on the need to strengthen safety and defense in Europe, Sanchez has advanced that this goal will be achieved earlier than expected, although it has not offered any calendar.
This week, NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte, told Warsaw That “Spain wants to reach 2% (from GDP in military spending) this summer”. He said it on Friday, the same day when the president Pedro Sánchez appeared before the congress To inform about the increase in Spanish investment in defense. Sanchez avoided putting the target date and only reiterated his commitment to reach it before 2029.
Him Pedro Sánchez’s government collaborated with the administration of the previous president, Joe Biden, in the field of immigration, with some reduced agreements to host immigrants in Spain who intended to travel in the United States.
This is the first officially recognized contact between the Trump administration and the government of Pedro Sánchez after the return to power of the Republican on January 20. The call occurs in the week in which the President of the United States, Donald Trump, has signed a decree in which Authorizes Marco Rubio to impose, from his discretion, from next April 2nd a 25% rate To the products imported from countries that acquire oil from Venezuela, including Spain.
In this context, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, will participate in next Thursday 4 April, the informal summit with NATO, in which the Secretary of State of the United States, Marco Rubio, where a first bilateral meeting could occur.
After Trump’s triumph to the polls in the elections of November 5, Sánchez congratulated the new President of the United States for his victory and underlined the need for both countries to work in their strategic bilateral relations and a “solid transatlantic association”.
His first day in office, Trump has already referred to Spain had a low level of defense expenditure, But a confused disaster has been made with a country of Brics and threatening it with 100% rates for its own confusion. A journalist asked him for low expenses in defense of NATO countries such as France and Spain, but Trump has singularly Spain saying that his expenses are “very low”.
The answer was particularly confused. “(Spain’s military spending) is very low,” Trump replied to the question about the countries that dedicate less than 5% of their gross defense domestic product. But then he stressed that Spain is a country of Brics, an acronym formed with the initials of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, emerging countries in whose group Spain is not included.
“Are they a country of Brics? Well, are they a country of Brics. Spain. Do you know what a country of Brics is? You will discover it. But if the countries of Brics want to do it (perhaps in reference to their alternative currency plan), it is fine, but we will put at least a 100% rate in the companies they do with the United States”, “,” He then said, perhaps taking Spain from Brics.
