Sánchez hides his defense plan and intends to avoid Congress

Especially clear in this regard was, in the afternoon, the only deputy of the Galego nationalist bloc (BNG), Néstor Rego, who made clear during his press conference in the presidential complex that had asked Sánchez If the increase in military spending would go through the lower house and that the president had answered that no. The others did not present it so sharp but they agreed to have left the Moncloa with the “sensation” or the “impression” that a parliamentary vote was not among Sánchez’s plans.

The president did not deny later, in a press conference of almost an hour with three shifts of questions that ended the day. «All those things that have to go through Parliament will go through Parliamenthow could it be otherwise, and other things that have more to do with the management of the Government of Spain because they will have to be accelerated by the Government of Spain. There is not much more debate in this issue, ”he tried to settled, after remembering that an eventual sending of peace troops, which the Executive has described this week as” premature “, would need by law of the endorsement of the Courts.

Sánchez’s opacity on how to carry out his plans only made an exception in the spokesman and the next president of the PNV, Aitor Esteban, who claimed to have received “details” on how Donald Trump, counting first for this with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin.

Esteban, blasting from a deference that they had not enjoyed who came before and after him (some like ERC spokesman Gabriel Rufián, lamented that lack of information) to the appointment, he even said he had “taken notes”, but did not release garment. PNV sources suggest that the route chosen by the Executive could be the already computing as an expense in defense games that until now were not counted as such.

And Sánchez endorsed this theory in his last minute speech, in which he pointed to Cybersecurity expense, to the fight against terrorism or even climate threat as concepts that could be included. This enters into the government’s speech to involve the debate in a matter of “global security” beyond defense. All this was sustained by Sanchez in a neat intervention in which he presumed to always have been supporting the president of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelenski, and in which he denounced again and again the “neo -imperialism” of Vladimir Putin.

During his appearance before the media – not too common in this type of rounds, where the government spokeswoman or some minister are those who normally give the response to those who come to meet with the president – Sánchez outlined several theses to justify the change of paradigm in military spending, although without realizing figures or deadlines.

In his opinion, it is time for the Nordic countries, who were supportive with Spain during the pandemic for the greater incidence in our Covid country, now receive that solidarity, since they have Russia much closer or on their same border, while the threat that Spain suffers, explained graphically, “is not a Russia that takes their troops by the Pyrenees to the Iberian Peninsula.” «Our threat when we talk about Russia is more hybrid. It is a threat in which there are cyber attacks, and therefore what we have to do is not to speak of defense, but of security, ”he argued.

Europe

Sánchez also said “applaud” the commitment of the president of the European Commission, the German Ursula von der Leyen, with the increase in defense capacities. And he said that «if we conceive, as I believe that we must all conceive, European security and defense as a European public good, find common financing mechanisms that improve the deterrence capacities of the European Union for threats so certain and real for the eastern front as the Putin Neoimperalist Russia”He reiterated.

The president, who during his contacts with the groups had to listen to harsh accusations of his allies to the left – “A war government government,” said the former minister and leader of Podemos Ione Belarra in Moncloa– He came to “positive” the recent approach between Washington and Moscow, although he again claimed that both the EU and Ukraine themselves are part “of the equation” of future peace negotiations. The PSOE leader asked to give kyiv “security guarantees” so that Russia “does not have time to rearm” and star in another attack on Ukrainian soil or “in other soils and other territories of the east and eastern neighborhood of Europe,” he said.

The Head of the Government added that these guarantees “They have to be given by the international community”and that “seem logical” given some precedents, among which expressly cited the illegal annexation of the Crimean Peninsula by Putin in 2014. That was the year, precisely, that Sánchez arrived at the General Secretariat of the PSOE, and when in its beginnings as head of the opposition he publicly defended the suppression of the Ministry of Defense. The change of approach is obvious.

The world paradigm shift is what, according to Sánchez, now justifies the increase in defense spending. He already assumed in 2022 the commitment to reach 2% of the gross domestic product (GDP) in military investment in 2029 and now the announcement is to accelerate that increase, although without detailing when he wants to reach it. The date said yesterday that it will not reveal it in the appearance that it has scheduled in Congress on March 26 and pointed out a broad term to give more details: the NATO summit of the end of June of The Hague.

In any case, he said that it is not about spending more but “spending better” and tried to exalt them reports that this effort will entail to the Spanish economy. «It is also an opportunity for Spain Reivided. The commitment in security and defense will be a commitment to the industry and technology of our country ».

All with a speech aimed at placing their allies. “We are not going to enter an armed career, I will not participate Belicist speech”said speaking again of solidarity with the allies and economic “opportunity.”