During his speech in Congress, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, defended the Spanish government's position regarding the situation in Venezuela. Albares insisted that Spain maintains a firm stance in favor of democracy and human rights in the South American country, emphasizing the need to combine international pressure with the goal of diplomatic dialogue.
The PP deputy Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo harshly criticized the Government's stance and accused Pedro Sánchez and former president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero of having defended Venezuela's “sovereignty” after the United States military operation, while —as she stated— they did not do so when they were “whitewashing the dictatorship” of Nicolás Maduro, calling them “a disgrace for Venezuela and a shame for Spain”.
The debate focused on the recent US intervention in Venezuela and the role Spain has played as a member of the international community. **Albares reiterated that Spain's decisions always seek to respect international law and the sovereignty of countries**, and that **it will be Venezuelan society itself** that must decide its future, rather than imposing changes by force as US President **Donald Trump** has done.