“According to Petro Sanchez, it is necessary to act diplomatically.”, — write: www.unian.ua
According to Petro Sanchez, it is necessary to act diplomatically.
At the same time, the Spanish politician admitted that his country needs increased defense spending / photo REUTERSSpanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez criticized proposals to increase defense spending by European countries to 5% of GDP, as demanded by US President Donald Trump. The Spanish politician said this in an interview with El Pais.
According to him, the future of the continent should be based not on militarization, but on unity and compliance with international law.
“We need to act diplomatically so that in 2035 we do not have a Europe armed to the teeth, but a Europe that guarantees international law. What kind of world do we want to leave to our children? A world in which defense budgets make up 5% of GDP?”, Sanchez said.
However, the Spanish prime minister admitted that his country is currently forced to increase spending on defense and security. He added that this is a step towards strengthening European autonomy in the field of defense.
“The opposition criticizes me for fulfilling a commitment that I did not take – the 2014 agreement on spending at the level of 2% of GDP. But I fulfilled this commitment,” Sanchez added.
According to the politician, Spain remains a reliable ally within NATO.
“The deployment of the Spanish armed forces on the eastern flank of Europe and, therefore, to protect Bulgaria, Romania, Lithuania, Estonia…, which have been influenced by Putin’s neo-imperialism, is the best proof that Spain is a reliable country from the point of view of the Atlantic Alliance and from the point of view of capabilities,” he concluded.
Europe and the threat from the Russian Federation – the latest newsEarlier, the Commissioner of the European Union for Defense and Space Andryus Kubilius made a statement regarding the withdrawal of US troops from Europe. According to him, the United States should agree with the leaders of European countries on any plans for the withdrawal of troops from Europe.
“I’m absolutely a transatlanticist. But I’m also trying to offer some practical, long-term views that we need. They’ll say, ‘We’re gradually leaving. Be sure about the nuclear umbrella for the longer term, but right now we need to move ground troops or something. And let’s see from a practical point of view when you will be ready to replace,” Kubilyus remarked.
At the same time, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke about Russia’s attack on NATO and complained about the “threat” from the West. He emphasized that Moscow “will not attack any NATO country”, and the Kremlin is even ready “to enshrine this in future security guarantees”.
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