PROPERTY SEARCH

Date Published: 28/06/2022

ARCHIVED - Spain gears up for NATO summit in Madrid this week

ARCHIVED ARTICLE

Almost 5,000 participants will attend the historical summit in Spain

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - Spain gears up for NATO summit in Madrid this week

Spain is ready to welcome the 30 leaders of the Atlantic Alliance when it holds a historic NATO summit in Madrid this June 29 and 30, necessitating the largest security deployment the capital has ever seen, with more than 10,000 officers, military planes and helicopters.

Just shy of 5,000 participants, 2,000 journalists and 2,000 delegates are expected at the Spanish summit, which will be held under high military alert due to the war in Ukraine.

The US first lady, Jill Biden, has already arrived in Madrid where she will take part in several engagements with Spain’s Queen Letiza in the coming days, and the king has planned an elaborate welcome dinner to launch the summit at the Royal Palace.

You might also like: Spain supports EU decision for embargo on Russian oil

As expected, the NATO summit discussions will be dominated by the Russian invasion and the threat posed by Vladimir Putin, but the pending membership of Finland and Sweden will also be open for debate, as well as the extension and reinforcement of the alliance’s troops on European soil.

Spanish government sources have confirmed that the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenski will participate electronically.

The summit has greatly divided opinion and on Sunday June 26 more than 2,000 demonstrators protested against NATO, claiming that the organisation is an obstacle to global demilitarisation and a threat to world peace.

Also of interest: Barcelona introduces noise restrictions for tourists this summer

Image: Pedro Sanchez

Sign up for the Spanish News Today Editors Roundup Weekly Bulletin and get an email with all the week’s news straight to your inbox

Special offer: Subscribe now for 25% off (36.95 euros for 48 Bulletins)