Sánchez holds a brief meeting with Biden and tries to unblock Ribera’s appointment

Eduardo González The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, took advantage of his participation in the G20 Summit to hold a brief meeting with the President of the United States, Joe Biden, and to discuss with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, the ways to unblock the appointment of Teresa Ribera as vice president of the Community Executive. Sánchez concluded his presence at the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday, organised since Monday by the Brazilian Presidency and in which Spain, despite not belonging to the G20, has once again participated as a permanent guest. At the end of the meeting, a joint Declaration was adopted which Sánchez himself, as he himself confessed in the subsequent press conference, would have liked to have been “more ambitious and up to the enormous challenges we face”, while admitting that the mere fact of having produced a joint and agreed text “is already an achievement in itself”. Specifically, the text includes a minimum declaration on the two major world conflicts of the moment: the Middle East and Ukraine. Regarding the former, the Declaration expresses its “deep concern about the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the escalation in Lebanon”, reiterates the “unwavering commitment” of the signatories “to the vision of a two-state solution” and calls for “a comprehensive ceasefire” in Gaza and Lebanon. Regarding Ukraine, the signatories regret “the human suffering and the additional negative impacts of the war on global food and energy security” and “welcome all relevant and constructive initiatives that support a comprehensive, just and lasting peace”. The text has been harshly criticised by the Ukrainian authorities, who consider it too soft on Russia. The declaration also advocates “a world free of nuclear weapons” and the leaders commit to fulfilling their “obligations in this regard” (Russia, which is part of the G20, was represented by its Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov). In any case, Sánchez indicated that both texts send “a clear message” in favour of a fair peace, of the principles of the United Nations Charter and of international law “in Ukraine, Gaza and Lebanon” and he assured that Spain defended at the Summit that both the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and the two-state solution in the Middle East be “very clear” in the Declaration. “Although Spain would have liked a more forceful text, it is without a doubt the best that you could achieve as a group,” he admitted. In addition, the Declaration “looks forward to the success of the Fourth Conference on Financing for Development in Seville, Spain, in 2025” and defends a reform of the UN that includes “revitalizing the General Assembly” of the UN and “reforming the Security Council” through an “expanded composition” that “improves the representation of underrepresented and unrepresented regions and groups, such as Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America and the Caribbean.” Unsurprisingly, Brazilian President Luiz Inázio Lula da Silva was left half-way in his attempt to introduce his proposal (supported by Sánchez) for a global tax on large fortunes in the Declaration, which merely advocates, “with full respect for fiscal sovereignty,” cooperation between countries “to ensure that ultra-high net worth individuals pay taxes effectively.” “We look forward to continuing to discuss these issues at the G20 and other relevant forums,” he added. Ribera and Biden On the sidelines of the Summit, Pedro Sánchez discussed with Ursula von der Leyen the ways to overcome the blockage in the appointment of the third vice-president of the Government, Teresa Ribera, as vice-president of the Commission, according to government sources, who specified that there was no formal meeting between the two and that they did not report on the content of these conversations. Sánchez himself did not provide details about his conversations with Von der Leyen and other European leaders in the press conference after the Summit, despite being asked about it. The head of the Executive also held a brief meeting with the outgoing president of the United States, Joe Biden, who traveled to Brazil just two months before he hands over his post to the Republican Donald Trump. Sources from Moncloa indicated to the media that everything was a mere greeting between the two. Sánchez also met with the Managing Director of the IMF, Kristalina Georgieva, and with the Prime Minister of Vietnam, Phạm Minh Chính. For his part, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, who accompanied Albares in Rio de Janeiro, met with his counterparts from the United States, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay and representatives from France, the United Kingdom and Canada “to discuss Haiti and Venezuela,” according to reports on social media X and Bluesky.

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