Russian leader Vladimir Putin's announcement, which poses a nuclear threat, mobilizes civilians and launches referendums in the pro-Russian areas of Ukraine, has completely broken up the UN summit.
In this context, the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, has taken advantage of his participation in the forum
Latin America, the United States and Spain in the global economy,
organized this Wednesday in New York by EL PAÍS and the Spain-United States Chamber of Commerce, sponsored by Abertis, Baker&McKenzie, Hiberus and Iberia and with the collaboration of the Organization of Ibero-American States (OEI), to launch a forceful message against the new threat from the Russian president.
“This morning Putin has taken another step in his flight forward with totally inadmissible statements.
We categorically condemn the announcement of a referendum to annex Donbas.
It is a new violation of international law and will never be recognized.
We will always support the sovereignty of who today is the victim, Ukraine.
We categorically condemn the decisions taken.
It is a new violation of the international order.
The result of those referendums will never be recognized.
But above all, the Spanish president has made an analysis of what this step by Putin means.
And in his opinion, what looks like escalation is actually a sign of weakness.
“This shows that we are entering a much more critical phase of the war, which is when the aggressor realizes that he is losing the fight.
At this precise moment, the support of Europe and all democracies for Ukraine is most needed.
I believe that the possibility of a total supply cut is real due to the will of an autocrat to turn energy into a weapon of war”, Sánchez concluded.
Shortly before, the Spanish president had pointed out in an informal conversation with the press that it is a "flight forward" by Putin, but he asked for caution regarding the risk of a nuclear escalation.
Sánchez recalled that three years ago he already participated in a forum similar to this one organized by EL PAÍS in New York, and then something like the invasion of Ukraine was absolutely unthinkable.
The most worrying consequence, besides the energy crisis in Europe, is the possibility of a food crisis in the poorest countries, he has reminded him.
However, from the point of view of the Spanish economy, Sánchez is not so pessimistic despite the evident uncertainty caused by the war.
“Spain is in a better position than other European economies to resist this crisis.
I am cautiously optimistic.
Above all because of the sustained commitment since 2018 [when he came to government] to renewable energy, which makes Spain one of the countries least dependent on Putin's energy blackmail.
Sánchez recalled that his Government has forced the air conditioners to be set at 27 degrees or 25 in some cases in Spain, and he joked with one of the questions that most surprises a European when arriving in the US: there does not seem to be any type of saving , the huge cars that circulate in New York consume tons of gasoline without any restriction to enter the center, there are single-use plastics in all the shops, and the air conditioning that never stops maintains a frigid temperature in all the buildings.
"It's not 27 degrees here, it's clear that the temperature in the US is much lower than in Spain," said Sánchez with a smile.
The president, who will meet tomorrow with some of the investment funds with the most interests in Spain, conveys in New York the idea that Spain has many opportunities to withstand the crisis and grow more than its neighbors.
“The Spanish economy grew this year above the EU average.
The consensus is that this year we will exceed 4% in 2022 and 2% in 2023. We have 330,000 more people working than last year.
We are at a minimum unemployment rate since 2008. The percentage of temporary jobs is below 20%, we are breaking a dynamic of historical precariousness.
In the tourism sector we are practically at pre-pandemic data.
Exports of goods have grown by 20%.
We have much stronger fundamentals than in the past, households and businesses are much less indebted.
Our country is much more resilient.
These figures invite us to trust the Spanish economy to invest”.
In addition, Sánchez has claimed Spain's leadership in the debate on the transformation of the European energy market, which he and his government began a year ago and are now beginning to produce results in the EU.
The day had started early in the morning at the Yale Club in Manhattan with speeches by Joseph Oughourlian, president of Prisa, editor of EL PAÍS, and Alan D. Solomont, president of the Spain-United States Chamber of Commerce, entities forum organizers.
Oughourlian highlighted how Prisa is in practice a "multi-Latin" company, since more than 70% of its income and results come from Latin America (in the case of this newspaper, half of its readers are already in this hemisphere, he recalled).
"We have decided to invest heavily in the region in recent years, despite all the uncertainties, despite the politics, the regulation and also the exchange rate issues," he said.
Oughourlian explained that Prisa has decided to invest in the newsrooms of EL PAÍS throughout the continent, promote the English edition and all this with the support of some of the most important radio networks in Latin America.
He also said that 2023, with various relevant international events such as the Ibero-American summit or the Spanish presidency of the EU, will be a very important year.
Solomont, for his part, highlighted the importance of the organization he chairs to "offer its members practical and quantifiable business opportunities through the organization of high-level relationship events."
“In addition, the Chamber supports its members with exceptional business intelligence and regulatory advice.
It facilitates productive interactions among its members, and connects them with a broad network of business organizations, government authorities, professional and trade associations, and prominent dignitaries, strengthening business ties between the United States and Spain,” he added.
Shortly after, the Spanish Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, had also focused, like Sánchez, on the news from Ukraine.
"We strongly condemn Moscow's announcement to hold referendums in Lugansk, Donetsk and Kherson, which come in the week in which the UN meets in its General Assembly, and precisely by a member of the Security Council, who should ensure security global.
The “unjustified, brutal and unprovoked” aggression, Albares considered, accentuates problems aggravated by the pandemic: inequality, the strangulation of supply chains and the food crisis.
"The Kremlin is using critical supplies like energy or raw materials as weapons of war," he said.
"He wants to intimidate the world by using them as blackmail."
Faced with this scenario of war in Ukraine and the aftermath of a pandemic that threatens to prolong his life through its economic consequences, the minister stressed that "the transatlantic relationship is crucial."
“When America and Europe say speak with one voice, the world listens and follows us”.
As proof of the strength of the ties between the United States and Spain, he put the NATO meeting in Madrid last June, and the bilateral meeting between presidents Joe Biden and Pedro Sánchez.
Cooperation between both sides of the Atlantic must go beyond security and defense, he warned, to also be economic.
“The United States is a strategic partner of Spain.
More than 700 of our companies are established in this country, and they maintain important projects in energy and infrastructure, priorities of the agenda of President Biden”.
The minister recalled that if the United States is the sixth most important client, the fifth supplier for Spain;
this country is the twentieth client and the twenty-third supplier of that.
In this connection, Latin America is "an essential link in the chain," and Spanish is a lingua franca, "which already has more speakers in the United States than in Spain."
The minister promised to use the upcoming Spanish presidency of the European Union to strengthen the relationship between Europe and Latin America.