<h6><strong>Eduardo González </strong></h6> <h4><strong>Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares will be received next Thursday, May 22, in Washington, according to the newspaper <em>El Confidencial Digital</em> and confirmed by sources from the Foreign Office to <em>The Diplomat</em>.</strong></h4> "Following the invitation from the American Administration to Minister Albares, the Foreign Office team has sought a viable date for the trip, which in principle will be next Thursday in Washington," the aforementioned sources indicated. This is the first direct meeting between Albares and Rubio since the latter took office on January 21. The two ministers held their initial virtual conversation on April 2, in which they discussed, among other issues, Spain-United States relations, the importance of the transatlantic relationship, dialogue and cooperation in security and trade, and ties with Latin America, according to Albares himself on social media. By that point, the secretary had already spoken in person or by telephone with around 100 of his counterparts or leaders from different countries, but he had yet to do so with his Spanish counterpart. Albares and Rubio met physically at the Munich Security Conference, held from February 14 to 16, and at the NATO ministerial meeting in the first week of April, but there was no bilateral meeting at either meeting. <span class="HwtZe" lang="en"><span class="jCAhz ChMk0b"><span class="ryNqvb">Regarding the topics Albares and Rubio will discuss in Washington, the aforementioned Foreign Affairs sources reported that, on the Spanish side, they will address, among other issues, strengthening bilateral relations, Euro-Atlantic security, and major global issues.</span></span></span> <div class="lRu31" dir="ltr">The truth is that there will be no shortage of topics at the Washington meeting. In the absence of further details, everything indicates that Albares and Rubio will address the current international conflicts (Ukraine, where the United States has taken a leading role in promoting a peace process, and Gaza), the increase in Spain's military spending, after Pedro Sánchez's government announced a national plan to reach the two percent commitment to NATO and the EU by 2025, and the arrival of the sixth US destroyer at the Rota naval base (Cádiz) as part of the NATO missile shield, initially planned for 2025 but not expected until mid-2026.</div> Other important issues in the bilateral relationship with the US include the two percent tariffs approved by President Donald Trump against EU products (and, obviously, those of Spain), and the interests of Spanish companies after Washington announced the withdrawal of Repsol's license to exploit Venezuelan oil.
