President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. welcomed President Pedro Sanchez of Spain to the White House today to reaffirm the close partnership between the United States and Spain. The leaders underscored our unwavering support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s brutal war, including through continued security, economic, and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, as well as the imposition of measures to impose economic costs on Moscow. The leaders noted the recent signing of the expanded Agreement on Defense Cooperation between the United States and Spain, which facilitates the presence of additional U.S. warships in Spain and enhances NATO’s collective security. The two leaders discussed ongoing efforts to advance prosperity, security, shared values, and the rules-based international order, including as Spain assumes the Presidency of the Council of the European Union this July. The leaders committed to deepening economic cooperation in the Americas, including through the Inter-American Development Bank. President Biden also thanked Spain for its recent commitment to expand safe, humane, and regular migration pathways for individuals from Latin America.
The two Presidents also discussed avenues to broaden the scope of our cooperation. The United States and Spain intend to work rapidly toward achieving our shared goals to address the climate crisis. They will intensify cooperation on early warning systems, ocean protection, and drought resilience, and continue our strong collaboration on energy security. President Biden applauded Spain’s decision to join the Net Zero Government Initiative, which commits countries to net zero emissions in government operations by 2050. The leaders underscored the importance of strengthened cooperation on sustainable and inclusive infrastructure development, and in this context, President Biden welcomed Spain joining the Blue Dot Network’s Executive Steering Committee. The leaders pledged to deepen cooperation in science and technology, including through the Artemis Accords on responsible use of outer space and a new partnership between NASA and the Spanish space agency. The two Presidents tasked their teams with pursuing negotiations on an agreement related to further cleanup efforts at the site of a 1966 air accident in Palomares, Spain.
