Javier Solana has acknowledged this Friday that he lives with "personal pain, as a citizen and as a socialist" the investigations for alleged corruption affecting the PSOE. The historic leader has also revealed that he has already spoken about this situation with Pedro Sánchez, although he has avoided disclosing the content of those conversations.
The former Minister of Foreign Affairs spoke before participating in the seminar The imperative of security and defense in the European Union, organized by the Complutense University in San Lorenzo de El Escorial. Solana, who led NATO between 1995 and 1999 and was later the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Policy, has also come out in defense of Spain against the latest attacks by Donald Trump.
"Pedro Sánchez knows it"
Solana's words come amid an internal shake-up due to the judicial cases surrounding the PSOE. Asked about this scenario, he explained that his discomfort reaches a personal, political, and civic dimension. "Pedro Sánchez knows it," he assured, confirming that they have both conversed.
Solana maintained discretion about what he conveyed to the head of the Executive and declined to comment on a possible early election. In his opinion, it is up to Sánchez himself to explain how he will face the situation and what decisions he intends to adopt.
The former socialist leader made these statements after the progress of the so-called 'Leire case' became known. The judge of the Audiencia Nacional, Santiago Pedraz, agreed this Friday to investigate Juan Manuel Serrano, former chief of staff to Sánchez and former president of Correos, and authorized the analysis of his mobile phone. Serrano maintains his presumption of innocence intact.
The case examines Serrano's relationship with Leire Díez and the circumstances of her hiring at Correos. The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office had supported his indictment after the UCO incorporated new communications and evidence into the investigation.
Solana responds to Trump's attacks
The former NATO Secretary General also censured the statements made by Donald Trump during the Ankara summit. The US president went so far as to call Spain a "terrible partner," threatened commercial retaliation, and a few hours later assured that the country had "completely redeemed itself."
Solana recalled that Trump changes his stance "with relative frequency" and considers that those disqualifications were especially inappropriate as they occurred in front of the current Secretary General of the Alliance, Mark Rutte.
Against Washington's narrative, he has defended that Spain responds to requests for military cooperation and fulfills the responsibilities assumed within the organization. "We are doing everything that needs to be done and we believe we can do it. And it is being done," he affirmed.
Trump has focused much of his criticism on Spanish defense spending and the Sánchez government's refusal to commit the 5% of GDP demanded for 2035. Spain maintains that its contributions should also be measured by capabilities, international missions, and deployed personnel, while keeping its investment around 2.1%.
A Europe with greater defense capability
Solana has defended that the advancement of European strategic autonomy can coexist with the Atlantic commitment. In his speech, he demanded that NATO continue to be a central piece of collective security, although he warned of the military shortcomings that Europe still suffers from.
The former head of European diplomacy especially pointed out the weakness of air defense and assumed that the United States will hardly recover the role it had before Trump's arrival. He also predicted a period of "post-Trumpism," although he believes that the international system has already changed profoundly.
Despite his criticisms of the US president, Solana has rejected turning the European response into an anti-American discourse and has called for maintaining a solid relationship with Washington. During the course, he also called for more attention to Africa, a continent that, he argued, deserves "more respect" and can offer a "positive surprise" in the coming years.
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