The Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, denounced this Monday that cracks have already opened in the European Union over support for Ukraine and that some countries, among which she has expressly cited Viktor Orbán’s Hungary, openly advocate “end the war at any price”, which would mean “give in to [el presidente ruso, Vladímir] Putin.” Robles closed the event, held this Monday at the Reina Sofía Museum in Madrid, with the participation of prominent political, business and defense experts.
The minister has revealed the debate she had with her European counterparts in Brussels on the 19th, the first after Donald Trump’s electoral victory. After emphasizing that all allies are waiting for the position adopted by the elected president of the United States in the face of a war that has already exceeded 1,000 days, he insisted that “Putin is the only one to blame” and added that, with the entry into combat of North Korean troops on the Russian side has become a “global conflict.” “I am worried about what is coming,” acknowledged Robles, who has reiterated the Spanish position of maintaining unwavering support for kyiv until achieving “a just and lasting peace.” Although Robles has only cited Hungary, diplomatic sources admit that other Eastern European countries maintain a favorable position towards Putin, although more nuanced.
The return of next January 20, with the twist that this may mean for the foreign policy of the United States and the , has marked the meeting organized by EL PAÍS, in collaboration with the Ministry of Defense and the consultancy Thinking Heads, with the sponsorship of the companies Escribano Mechanical Engineering, GMV, Hispasat, Indra and Navantia.
In the presentation of the day, , made clear the “vocation for continuity, ambition and expectation of growth” of this forum that, bridging the gaps, is inspired by the , which since 1963 has become a world reference. What differentiates the Spanish forum is its European vision, to the point that Bueno has considered the presence of a Commissioner for Defense and Space in future editions to be “essential”. And also its vocation to look towards the south, where Europe faces challenges such as jihadist terrorism, drug and human trafficking, the effects of climate change or the struggle for natural resources.
The director of EL PAÍS has been the first to emphasize that, with the return of Trump, the time is up and that the change in Washington leaves them “alone in front of themselves.” Bueno has asked whether European societies are prepared to assume this responsibility and has underlined the role of the media in shaping informed and conscious public opinions. In the face of disinformation that seeks to undermine trust in institutions, he has defended journalism committed to the search for truth as a key element “in the defense and security of democracies.”
The Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean (UPM), Nasser Kamel, has warned of the consequences for Europe of the Gaza war, which has been going on for almost 15 months and which has been the subject of a specific debate. “If Europe is serious about strategic autonomy, it will have to have an autonomous approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It should not remain a passive observer, its security is linked to that of the Mediterranean. “He has the political and economic means to act and he must do so for his own good,” he warned. For her part, Ana Santos Pinto, former president of NATO’s Southern Group of Experts, has warned that “recovering the Cold War framework to understand today’s world is a strategic error.”
In a round table on European defense, Colonel Alfonso Barea, head of the Multilateral Cooperation area of the Ministry of Defense, considered Trump’s return as “an incentive” to develop European defense policy. “If something is good [el presidente electo norteamericano] “It’s not fooling anyone,” he stressed. Barea added that, although the new European Commission has , it is a “king without a kingdom”, since the States jealously reserve their powers in the matter. José María de Areilza Carvajal, general secretary of the Aspen Institute Spain, has quoted Josep Borrell, the head of European diplomacy about to leave office, recalling his warning that if Europe “does not sit at the table, it is likely that be part of the menu.”
He has been convinced that the change of tenant in the White House will not change the course of the foreign policy of the United States, which has revolved for years from the Atlantic to the Pacific, but he has admitted that it can “accelerate the pace.” Despite the interviewer’s attempts, Murtra has not left the “strategic ambiguity” when it comes to revealing his company’s plans for the purchase of Hispasat or the sale of its technological subsidiary Minsait, but he has made it clear that the will Indra’s goal is to become the “national champion” of the defense industry or, in his words, “coordinator of large military technological programs”; an objective that already has, he added, “a long way to go and a long way to go.”
The convenience of a concentration process in the Spanish military industry has been the subject of debate between the presidents or CEOs of four large companies: Francisco Javier Sánchez Segura (Airbus Spain); Ricardo Domínguez (Navantia); Jesús Serrano (GMV); and Miguel Ángel Panduro (Hispasat). While the latter has considered a “consolidation” process at the European and national level necessary to be able to compete in a globalized market; Sánchez has warned that the merger of companies only makes sense if “it results in a more competitive entity than the sum” of the original ones.
The , has tried to counter criticism of the fact that Spain is at the bottom of NATO countries in percentage of GDP in military spending, emphasizing that it is one of the allies that dedicates the most to missions abroad and that the His ministry’s budget has increased 32% since 2018, with an increase of 149% in the investment chapter. Valcarce has described the Spanish defense industry as a “strategic asset” and has assured that it generates 5.7% of industrial employment and that it is characterized by its high qualification and productivity.
Lieutenant General Miguel Ivorra, general director of Defense Strategy and Innovation, has announced that before the end of the year the first stone of the future Jaén Development and Experimentation Center will be laid, which will be dedicated to research into autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence and anti-drone systems.
Also participating in the forum, held in a room with capacity for 400 people that at times has been almost full, were Ángel Escribano, CEO of Escribano Mechanical Engineering; and experts such as Carlos Martí Sempere, who presented the report The Transformation of the Defense Industry; or Vicente Palacio, head of foreign policy at the Alternativas Foundation, among others. In a recorded message, NATO’s first special envoy for the Southern Flank, Javier Colominas, has warned that the vacuum left by Western countries in the Sahel is being occupied by Russia and China, although he has recognized the difficulty of normalizing relations. institutional reforms by many countries in the region governed by coup military junta. The symbol of the forum was a map of Europe with a circle superimposed as a radar screen, which evoked the 360-degree strategy approved by NATO at the Madrid summit.
