The minister has met in Washington with the US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin
A lightning visit to the US to prepare for the NATO summit in Madrid
Washington describes Spain as a “firm ally” and recognizes the role of our country on the “southern flank”
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Silence at Arlington National Cemetery (Washington). Defense Minister Margarita Robles makes a floral offering to the unknown soldier. There are buried from 400,000 soldiers of all times to presidents It is the first act of her busy schedule in the United States. Obligatory appointment before going through the Pentagon.
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Waiting for her there, with full honors, was the Secretary of Defense of the United States, Lloyd Austin. After signing the guest book, complying with strict protocol, Robles and Austin sat down to talk about Ukraine and the next NATO summit which will be held in Madrid on June 28, 29 and 30 and will be attended by President Biden.
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There has been no appearance before the media, Defense has issued a statement in which they highlight “the excellent bilateral relations between the two countries” and affirm that both are working on the “construction of a new security architecture for Europe”.
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Faced with the situation in Ukraine, Spain and the United States “reaffirm themselves in these current challenging times” and confirm, “more than ever, the need to continue working together.”
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Spain and the reinforcement of the southern flank
Robles and Ausitin have reviewed the security threats and challenges that are so complex that, they have pointed out, they must be faced “together” and they agreed on defense security “in 360 degrees”. “The urgency of the situation created by the cruel invasion of Russia increases the security challenges coming from the South”Defense has stated in the note.
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For his part, the US Secretary of Defense valued “Spain’s important leadership on the southern flank”, while thanking Spain’s commitment “to contribute to collective defense on the eastern flank”.
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The United States is satisfied with Spain’s position regarding the conflict in Ukraine. “Spain is an absolute friend of the United States, we could not be more grateful. These are times that call for solidarity and we are very hopeful because we have never seen NATO more united. For this reason, we are especially grateful to Spain for hosting the next NATO summit, which will be very important”, he said, while highlighting “Humanitarian and Defense assistance from Spain to Ukraine”.
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