BarcelonaOn behalf of the Spanish government, Pedro Sánchez offered this Saturday to mediate between the United States and Venezuela and, later, guaranteed that his executive will not recognize “an intervention that violates international law.” The next day, Sánchez put on the PSOE jacket to be even more forceful against Donald Trump: in a letter to socialist militants, he “roundly” condemns the attack by the United States and links it to the policies of the “far-right international”. In fact, the Spanish president places Spain as “the biggest counterweight” to the extreme right and “one of the few voices that still firmly defends peace”.
Despite the silence and ambiguity with which the international community has received the US operation in Venezuela, Sánchez insists that it is “a violation of international legality”. What can he do beyond condemning her? At the moment, he points out to the socialist militants “the importance of having a government in Spain that defends, whenever and wherever, international law and the peaceful resolution of conflicts”.
All in all, he believes there are three reasons why his government must exhaust the legislature. The first, “that the results support us”, he assures in reference to the economic, social and environmental results, “the best in the democratic history of Spain”. The second is this international responsibility that he gives himself. “Beyond our borders, our progressive government means hope.” The last of the three reasons is precisely “hope”.
“We will not give up our democratic mandate, won cleanly at the polls. We will not give up finishing this legislature or continuing to transform Spain. We will not give up being a beacon of hope for all progressive Europeans,” concludes the socialist leader.
Indeed, the reaction in Europe has been more cautious since Saturday. The European Union limited itself yesterday to asking that “the principles of international law and the Charter of the United Nations” be respected. “We call for moderation,” said the head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, who assured in a message to X that she had spoken with the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, remarked that the EU “stands by the Venezuelan people” and supports “a peaceful and democratic transition”.
Some European leaders, on the other hand, directly celebrated the operation. One of them was the French president, Emmanuel Macron, who applauded the fall of “Nicolas Maduro’s dictatorship” and said he hoped that Edmundo González Urrutia “can ensure the transition as soon as possible”.
