By Chris King • Updated: 04 Jun 2022 • 14:55
In an official statement from the White House today, Monday, January 24, it can be read that US President Joe Biden held a video conference, with which to “consult and coordinate with European leaders and transatlantic allies”. This call was made as “a response to Russia’s military escalation on Ukraine’s borders”.
Biden’s video call included Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission; Charles Michel, the President of the Council; French President Emmanuel Macron; German Chancellor Olaf Scholz; Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi; Poland’s Andrzej Duda; along with British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson.
For some reason, Biden did not include Spanish President, Pedro Sanchez in his call. This is remarkable when you consider that Madrid will host the NATO summit next June.
One week ago, Jose Manuel Albares was in Washington, asking for support from the United States in the crisis with Morocco. At the same time, he offered Spain’s total commitment to NATO as a “faithful ally”, along with military deployment “in the face of the Russian threat to the integrity territory of Ukraine”.
Last Thursday, Defense Minister Margarita Robles announced the advance shipment of warships, and offered Air Force fighters to join the 350 soldiers already deployed on the Russian borders.
However, just six days after the meeting with US Foreign Minister Antony Blinken, Spain has gone from being “an essential ally”, to not being invited to the urgent video conference of the President of the United States. This action does not do a lot for relations between Madrid and Washington, when you recall how it took Biden at least six months to get round to calling Sanchez after taking office. Only during the evacuation of Kabul, at the end of August, did Biden make contact with the Spanish President, to ask for the use of the Rota and Moron bases, for the stopovers of flights.
NATO announced today that it will move more military equipment and troops to the countries of the eastern front of the alliance. The European Union has doubled its medium and long-term aid to Kyiv to €1.2 billion. As announced by Josep Borrell, the High Representative, the EU has also offered €35 million in military support.
The foreign ministers of the European Union have condemned this Monday the “continuous aggressive actions and threats of Russia against Ukraine”. They have demanded that Vladimir Putin lower the tension in the area, respect international law, and start a constructive dialogue, to resolve the current crisis.
“Any new military aggression by Russia against Ukraine will have massive consequences and high costs”, warned the heads of the twenty-seven diplomacy, in a statement approved unanimously during a face-to-face meeting held in Brussels.
in a statement, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, said, “We will always respond to any deterioration in our security environment, including strengthening our collective defence”. Stoltenberg was one of the international leaders with whom President Sanchez had spoken only yesterday, Sunday 23, along with Von der Leyen, as reported by elespanol.com.
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Originally from Wales, Chris spent years on the Costa del Sol before moving to the Algarve where he is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com
Pedro was too busy.
working out higher taxes for the self employed…
Pedro was too busy. working out higher taxes for the self employed…
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