The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, warned the military this Wednesday that “threats to Europe do not cease, unfortunately,” and therefore, their “presence in Slovakia, Latvia, Lithuania or Romania is essential to show firmness and determination in the face of the provocations of Putin’s Russia.” Sánchez has thanked the members of the Armed Forces for their work, both inside and outside Spain. “One more year you have dedicated yourself to the task of protecting Spain and you have contributed with your work to peace, to international security that is so important in our days,” he told them.
The president has also highlighted the “selflessness” and “effectiveness” with which the military has faced “very complicated” situations within Spanish borders, such as the “devastating” forest fires last summer. “Your presence alone already brought that confidence, that security and that hope to the people. You can, therefore, feel immense pride,” he stressed.
Sánchez reviewed the turbulent international panorama, starting with what continues after “almost four years of an unjustified illegal invasion” with “the continued suffering of its population.” He has also warned that “the situation remains unstable, critical,” in the Middle East, despite the ceasefire and the ongoing negotiations to move to a new phase of the peace plan, and has expressly cited “the extraordinary work and excellent morale” of the Spanish contingent in Lebanon, where continuous violations of the cessation of hostilities agreed between Israel and the Shiite militia Hezbollah continue to occur, which “makes your mission even more necessary.”
He went on to point out that more than 20,000 Spanish soldiers have participated in international operations this year, “a figure that alone illustrates the commitment to peace and international security and to a multilateral order based on rules.” And he recalled that 175 members of the Armed Forces and the Security Forces have given their lives in 36 years of missions abroad.
After recognizing the added effort that it means for the military to spend these holidays away from their families – “there are no words that can mitigate the nostalgia for home, nor shorten the distance that separates you from your loved ones,” he said – he emphasized that “the effort is worth it” and that they have “the gratitude of an entire country whose flag” they carry “with dignity and pride” in other countries. Finally, he hoped that 2026 “will finally bring peace to so many corners of the world that need it. That peace to which you contribute every day wherever you are.”
The videoconference was also attended by the Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, and the chief of the Defense Staff, who recently visited the Spanish contingent in Lebanon. “You are all a source of pride. The work you are doing in favor of peace, security, in international missions, is an example for everyone,” the minister told the military. The Council of Ministers this Tuesday approved the extension until December 31, 2026 of the missions of the Armed Forces abroad, with “a military effort similar to that of 2025, with specific numerical adjustments in some missions.”
