Protesters hold banners caricaturing U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Madrid. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

On March 4, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez delivered a televised address to the nation on “recent international events”. Days earlier, when his government had announced it will not allow the U.S. to use their military bases in Spain for strikes on Iran, President Donald Trump had reacted angrily, saying, “We’re going to cut off all trade with Spain. We don’t want anything to do with Spain.”

As the conservative Opposition leaders accused Mr. Sanchez, leader of the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE), of jeopardising Spain’s relations with the U.S. for petty political gains, he doubled down. In a 10-minute speech that resonated across Europe, Mr. Sanchez characterised the war on Iran as a violation of international law, becoming the only European head of government to publicly reject the war on principle.

Mr. Sanchez, 54, elaborated on his anti-war stance in the form of three ‘no’s. “First, no to the breakdown of international law that protects us all, especially the most vulnerable, civilian population; second, no to assuming that the world can only solve its problems through conflict, through bombs; and finally, no to repeating the mistakes of the past” — a call back to the 2003 Iraq war which had been extremely unpopular in Spain. His government’s position, he said, can be summed up in four words: ‘No a la guerra’, or ‘no to war’. ‘No a la guerra’ quickly became a ‘war cry’ for thousands of anti-war protesters, adorning placards and banners as they organised demonstrations and marches across Spain.

It was clear from the beginning that the U.S./Israel-initiated war on Iran had no upside for Europe. It promised only energy shocks and economic setbacks. But Europe’s political establishment, committed to a strategy of placating and flattering Mr. Trump, would not take him on. And then, Mr. Sanchez did.

Many have questioned the motives behind Mr. Sanchez’s adversarial position, which he has justified on ethical grounds. They have suggested it is rather driven by self-serving pragmatism. After all, he is on his third term as Prime Minister. He runs a fragile coalition government with the support of smaller left-wing parties and regional allies, including Catalan separatists. He has been losing regional elections. He has not got a budget passed in years. And elections are due in 2027. With barely a year left in his premiership, what better way to shore up his support base, please his allies, and put the pro-war Opposition on the mat than to take on the cartoonishly villainous persona of Trump? It would also distract the public from the corruption allegations against his wife — allegations he claims were cooked up by right-wing operatives to harass him.

There may be merit in this argument. As the first politician in Spain’s history to oust a sitting Prime Minister through a no-confidence motion, there is no doubt Mr. Sanchez is a savvy political operator. Yet, if it was such an easy political win to increase your popularity by confronting Mr. Trump, why have not his European counterparts done it? Contrast Sanchez’s words — “We will not be complicit in something that is bad for the world and that is also contrary to our values and interests, simply out of fear of reprisals from someone” — with those spoken by the head of Europe’s most powerful economy, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said, “Categorising the events [in Iran] under international law will have relatively little effect. Therefore, this is not the time to lecture our partners and allies.”

Standing up to Trump and Israel

Pragmatism is a part of the explanation, not all of it. Mr. Sanchez had defied Mr. Trump before as well, when he rejected his diktat that European NATO members should raise their military spending to 5% of national GDP. He secured an exemption for Spain, stating it would spend only 2.1%. The reason: spending more would not be possible without raising taxes on the middle classes and cutting welfare budgets. He is also the only European head of government to describe Israeli atrocities in Gaza as “genocide”. He has barred Spanish ports and air space from being used for ferrying weapons to the Israeli war machine. He rejected Mr. Trump’s Gaza reconstruction plans on the grounds that it lacked Palestinian input. Unlike a few other European states that mildly pushed back against Mr. Trump’s claims on Greenland but endorsed his actions against Venezuela, Mr. Sanchez’s foreign policy positions — be it Greenland, Venezuela, Gaza, Lebanon or Cuba — have been consistent with the principle that international law must be the basis for conflict resolution. Even his refusal to let Spain serve as a launch pad for strikes on Iran had a legal basis, with the Defence Minister stating that “our understanding of the deal [regarding use of these bases] is that operations have to comply with international legal frameworks”.

Mr. Sanchez’s most startling departure from the rest of Europe, and also the West as whole, is his policy on immigration. While every other social democrat leader in Europe feels compelled to assuage anti-immigrant sentiment by raising barriers to illegal immigration, Mr. Sanchez has been aggressively pro-immigrant. In January, his government rolled out a programme to “regularise” half a million undocumented immigrants by giving them work and residency permits. He explained his rationale in an op-ed in the New York Times, titled, “I’m the Prime Minister of Spain. This is why the West Needs Migrants”. In an obvious reference to Mr. Trump, he wrote: “Some leaders have chosen to hunt them down and deport them through operations that are both unlawful and cruel. My government has chosen a different way: a fast and simple path to regularise their immigration status.” He explained the economic benefits of being an “open” rather than closed society, pointing out that mitigating labour shortages through migrants have enabled Spain to become the fastest growing large economy of Europe, increase workers’ purchasing power, and lower poverty and inequality levels.

Good politics

Mr. Sanchez’s positions – his anti-war stance, pro-immigrant policies, raising the minimum salary – could be understood through a moral or ideological lens. But they are more usefully read as “good politics’, defined not in the narrow sense of prolonging your hold on power but broadly understood as delivering on the promises that made people vote you to power. What sets him apart from other European social democrats, especially someone like U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, is that he believes in stubbornly embracing social democratic policies instead of junking or diluting them once in power.

Born in 1972 in Madrid to a civil servant couple, Mr. Sanchez joined the PSOE in 1993, picking up a doctorate in economics along the way as he swiftly climbed the party ranks, becoming the secretary-general in 2014. He led the party to two back-to-back defeats before finally becoming Prime Minister in 2018, a post he has held since.

In rejecting Mr. Trump’s war-related demands, Mr. Sanchez likely calculated there was little risk of economic blowback against Spain since it traded with the U.S. as part of the EU bloc. Regardless of his political motivations, Mr. Sanchez has not only shown up the hypocrisy of other Western leaders but also demonstrated that it is both possible and politically rewarding to stand up to the bully and walk the talk on ‘European’ values.

Published – March 29, 2026 02:03 am IST

Madrid:

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is grappling with a series of legal probes involving his inner circle, including his wife, brother and former transport minister, that have tainted his leftist government.

While the 52-year-old and his Socialist party have dismissed the cases as baseless and part of a right-wing “smear campaign”, the judicial onslaught has given his opponents fresh ammunition to attack him.

Here is a look at the legal cases facing one of Europe’s longest-serving leaders:

Wife 

Sanchez’s wife, Begona Gomez, has been under investigation since April for alleged corruption and influence peddling related to her time working at Madrid’s Complutense University following complaints from two groups with far-right ties — “Manos Limpias” (Clean Hands) and “Hazte Oir” (Make Your Voice Heard).

She is also suspected of illegally appropriating software financed by private companies and initially intended for the university.

The 49-year-old was questioned by a judge in July and is scheduled to testify again on Wednesday at a Madrid court looking into the affair.

During an appearance before the conservative-controlled Madrid regional parliament in November, Gomez dismissed the corruption allegations as politically motivated.

Ex-minister 

Sanchez’s former transport minister Jose Luis Abalos, who used to be a member of his inner circle, is under investigation for allegedly having taken kickbacks for contracts to buy masks and other medical supplies in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to a court document consulted by AFP, Abalos may have received “financial compensation” for his services in the form of a house in the southern city of Cadiz offered by the company that received the contracts.

The same company also allegedly paid the rent for a Madrid flat occupied by a woman “linked” to the former minister.

Abalos denies any wrongdoing. Sanchez removed him from office in July 2021 and he was expelled from the Socialist Party in February when the affair broke. He still sits as an independent member of parliament.

Brother

The prime minister’s younger brother, David Sanchez, has been under investigation since November for alleged embezzlement, influence peddling and tax fraud following a complaint from “Manos Limpias”.

The group accuses David, who is in charge of live entertainment in the southwestern province of Badajoz, of collecting a public salary without going to his place of work as required.

It also questions the conditions under which he was hired for the post in 2017 by the province’s Socialist administration.

He has been summoned to appear in court for questioning over the affair on January 9.

Judicial leaks 

The prime minister’s entourage is also accused of leaking information to the media about a tax fraud case involving the partner of Isabel Diaz Ayuso, head of the Madrid region and a leading figure of Spain’s opposition conservative Popular Party.

Alberto Gonzalez Amador, a businessman, reportedly proposed a guilty plea deal to the public prosecutor’s office by email in an attempt to avoid a trial and a possible jail term. This email was leaked to the press.

Amador accused state prosecutors of violating his right to privacy with the leak and in October the Supreme Court opened a probe into Spain’s top prosecutor, who was appointed by Sanchez’s government and is accused of being behind the leak.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez on Monday jointly inaugurated the TATA Aircraft Complex for manufacturing the C-295 aircraft in Vadodara, the first private sector final assembly line for military aircraft in India. A total of 40 military tactical transport aircraft will be built at the Vadodara facility as part of the agreement, while aviation giant Airbus will deliver 16 aircraft directly.

About C-295 aircraft

The C-295 is a transport aircraft of 5-10 tonne capacity with contemporary technology that will replace the Indian Air Force’s ageing Avro-748 planes.

The C-295 is known to be a superior aircraft used for tactical transport of up to 71 troops or 50 paratroopers and for logistic operations to locations that are not accessible to current heavier aircraft.

The aircraft can cruise at the speed of 260 knots and can also operate on short airstrips. It can also land successfully on unpaved, soft, and sandy/grass airstrips.

The aircraft, called “robust and reliable”, with a flight endurance of up to 11 hours, can carry out multi-role operations under all weather conditions. It can routinely operate day as well as night combat missions from desert to maritime environments, apart from disaster response.

It can serve as a flying ICU, equipped for medical evacuations. It is equipped for the air-to-air refueling of fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters.

The C-295 has a rear ramp door for quick reaction and para-dropping of troops and cargo. Short take-off/land from semi-prepared surfaces is another of its features.

All 56 aircraft under the agreement will also be fitted with an indigenous Electronic Warfare suite manufactured by Indian DPSUs – Bharat Electronics Ltd and Bharat Dynamics Limited.

Fitted with a retractable landing gear and featuring an unobstructed 12.69-meter-long pressurized cabin, the C295 cruises at altitudes up to 30,000 feet, while also retaining excellent low-level flight characteristics.

The C295 is combat proven, having been successfully used during long deployments in remote areas such as Chad, Iraq and Afghanistan. It routinely operates in the hot and humid conditions of the Brazilian jungle and Colombian mountains, in the dusty and very hot deserts of Egypt and Algeria, and in the extremely cold and icy winters of Poland, Finland and Kazakhstan.

About the Tata Aircraft Complex in Vadodara

At the facility, operations will involve the full development of a complete ecosystem, from manufacture to assembly, test and qualification, to delivery and maintenance of the complete life cycle of the aircraft.

The first C-295 aircraft may come out of Tata-Airbus’ factory in Vadodara in September 2026. The remaining 39 aircraft are to be delivered by August 2031.

Apart from the Tatas, leading defence public sector units, such as Bharat Electronics and Bharat Dynamics, as well as private micro, small and medium enterprises will contribute to this programme.

India will be largest operator of the aircraft with 56 units by 2031.

Vadodara:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today jointly inaugurated the TATA Aircraft Complex for manufacturing C-295 aircraft with his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez in Gujarat’s Vadodara.

A total of 56 aircraft are there under the C-295 programme, of which 16 are being delivered directly by the aircraft manufacturing company Airbus from Spain, and the remaining 40 will be built at the facility, which is the first private sector Final Assembly Line (FAL) for military aircraft in India.

It will involve the full development of a complete ecosystem from the manufacture to assembly, test and qualification, to delivery and maintenance of the complete lifecycle of the aircraft. The Ministry of Defence in 2021 signed a Rs 21,935-crore contract with Airbus Defense and Space SA, Spain for the supply of 56 aircraft.

#WATCH | Gujarat: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sanchez, jointly inaugurated the TATA Aircraft Complex for manufacturing C-295 aircraft at TATA advanced systems limited (TASL) Campus in Vadodara

A total of 56 aircraft are there… pic.twitter.com/4jc2YTx2EC

— ANI (@ANI) October 28, 2024

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, PM Modi said the aircraft manufactured at the Vadodara facility will also be exported in the future.

“The Tata-Airbus manufacturing facility will strengthen the India-Spain relations and the ‘Make in India, Make for the World’ mission,” PM Modi, who laid the foundation stone of the FAL plant of C-295 aircraft in Vadodara in October 2022, said.

He also paid tribute to former Tata Sons chairman Ratan Tata, who is said to be the brains behind the project. Mr Tata died at the age of 86 earlier this month.

Speaking at the inauguration of the C-295 Aircraft facility in Vadodara. It reinforces India’s position as a trusted partner in global aerospace manufacturing.https://t.co/VvuC5izfPM

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 28, 2024

At the event, Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran said the project was originally conceived by Ratan Tata in 2012.

“I will fail in my duty if I forget to mention that this project was originally conceived more than a decade ago, in 2012, by the then Tata Sons Chairman, Ratan Tata Ji, who led the whole concept to build a relationship with Airbus and created this partnership with Airbus and laid the foundation stone for this opportunity. So, I would like to remember him for his visionary leadership in this very path-breaking initiative,” he said.

Why C-295 Aircraft Is A Game-Changer

The C-295 is a transport aircraft of 5-10 tonne capacity with contemporary technology that will replace the Indian Air Force’s ageing Avro-748 planes. The C-295 is known to be a superior aircraft used for tactical transport of up to 71 troops or 50 paratroopers and for logistic operations to locations that are not accessible to current heavier aircraft.

The aircraft, called “robust and reliable”, with a flight endurance of up to 11 hours, can carry out multi-role operations under all weather conditions.

It can routinely operate day as well as night combat missions from desert to maritime environments.

A game changer for #IAF and #AatmanirbhartainDefence–
Tata & @AirbusDefence to manufacture C-295MW transport aircraft in India.
What makes the aircraft special? Check out here@rajnathsingh@IAF_MCC@drajaykumar_ias@DefProdnIndia@TataCompanies#IAFTransportAircraftpic.twitter.com/W30131dcVc

— Ministry of Defence, Government of India (@SpokespersonMoD) October 29, 2022

The C-295 has a rear ramp door for quick reaction and para-dropping of troops and cargo. Short take-off/land from semi-prepared surfaces is another of its features.

All 56 aircraft under the agreement will also be fitted with an indigenous Electronic Warfare suite manufactured by Indian DPSUs – Bharat Electronics Ltd and Bharat Dynamics Limited.

Spain’s Prime Minister visited China last in March 2023 when Spain held the rotating European Union presidency. File photo
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and other top officials on Monday (September 9, 2024) during his second trip to China in a year-and-a-half that comes amid a spat over electric cars.

The centre-left Socialist leader will also attend a business forum in Beijing for Spanish and Chinese companies before travelling to Shanghai later Monday (September 9, 2024). The next day he will attend more business events and the inauguration of a Cervantes Institute, a centre that promotes Spanish language and culture.

Prior to holding talks and dining with Chinese President Xi, Spanish PM Sánchez will meet with his Chinese counterpart, Li Qiang, and the head of the ceremonial legislature, Zhao Leji. Sánchez arrived late Sunday (September 8, 2024) and departs Wednesday (September 11, 2024).

Mr. Sánchez visited China in March 2023 when Spain held the rotating European Union presidency.

Spain was among the EU members that expressed support earlier this year for a 36.7% tariff on Chinese electric vehicles. The Chinese government responded by launching an investigation into EU pork imports.

EU exports of pork products to China hit a peak at 7.4 billion euros (USD 7.9 billion) in 2020 when Beijing had to turn abroad to satisfy domestic demand after its pig farms were decimated by a swine disease. EU pork exports to China have dropped since then, hitting 2.5 billion euros (USD 2.6 billion) last year. Almost half of that total came from Spain.

The tension over pork has not stopped Spain from welcoming the plans of Chinese carmaker Chery to open a plant for electric vehicles in Barcelona.

Washington:

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Wednesday urged the West to reject “double standards” regarding the conflict in Gaza as he joined NATO leaders in supporting Ukraine.

Spain under Sanchez has infuriated Israel’s right-wing government by recognizing a Palestinian state and criticizing Israel’s conduct of its war against Hamas.

“If we are telling our people that we are supporting Ukraine because we are defending the international law, this is the same to what we have to do towards Gaza,” he said at NATO’s 75th anniversary summit in Washington.

The socialist leader said there should be a “consistent political position” in which “we don’t have double standards.”

Sanchez said the world needed to press to “stop this terrible humanitarian crisis” affecting the Palestinians and called for an international peace conference to push for a Palestinian state.

“We need to create the conditions for an immediate and urgent ceasefire,” he said. “There is a real risk of escalation to Lebanon.”

Sanchez said he also supported “democracy, freedom and the right to exist of a country such as Ukraine.”

NATO leaders at the summit issued a declaration that said Kyiv was on an “irreversible” path to join the alliance.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

A picture of a TV screen taken on May 28, 2024, shows Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez delivering a speech over the recognition of Palestinian statehood by Spain, at La Moncloa Palace in Madrid.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the Spanish Cabinet will recognise a Palestinian state at its May 28 morning meeting as a European Union rift with Israel widens.

Ireland and Norway were also to make official their recognition of a Palestinian state later in the day. While dozens of countries have recognised a Palestinian state, none of the major Western powers has done so.

“This is a historic decision that has a single goal, and that is to help Israelis and Palestinians achieve peace,” said Sánchez, standing at the gates of the prime minister’s palace in Madrid, during a televised speech.

The Socialist leader, who announced his country’s decision before parliament last week, has spent months touring European and Middle Eastern countries to garner support for recognition and a cease-fire in Gaza.

Relations between the EU and Israel nosedived Monday, the eve of the diplomatic recognition EU members Ireland and Spain, with Madrid insisting that the EU should take action against Israel for its continued deadly attacks in southern Gaza’s city of Rafah.

Norway, which is not an EU member but often aligns its foreign policy with the bloc, handed diplomatic papers to the Palestinian government over the weekend ahead of its formal recognition of a Palestinian state.

Also Read | Israel to reprimand Irish, Norwegian, Spanish envoys over Palestine recognition

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz told Spain that its consulate in Jerusalem will not be allowed to help Palestinians.

At the same time, the EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell threw his weight to support the International Criminal Court, whose prosecutor is seeking an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others, including leaders of the Hamas militant group.

In his speech on Tuesday, Mr. Sánchez said that the recognition of a Palestinian state was “a decision that we do not adopt against anyone, least of all against Israel, a friendly people whom we respect, whom we appreciate and with whom we want to have the best possible relationship.”

He called for a permanent cease-fire, for stepping up humanitarian aid into Gaza and for the release of hostages that Hamas has held since the October 7 attack that triggered Israel’s response.

Mr. Sánchez also laid out his vision for a state ruled by the Palestinian National Authority that must connect the West Bank and Gaza with East Jerusalem through a corridor.

“We will not recognise changes in the 1967 border lines other than those agreed to by the parties,” Mr. Sánchez added.

Madrid:

Spain recalled its ambassador to Buenos Aires for consultations on Sunday after Argentina’s President Javier Milei made derogatory comments about Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s wife during a far-right rally in Madrid.

Milei had called Sanchez’s wife Begona Gomez “corrupt” during a rally in Madrid organised by the far-right Vox party and attended by many of its international allies.

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said he expected an apology from Milei.

Other ministers also condemned Milei’s speech, in which he described socialism as “cursed and carcinogenic”. Sanchez leads Spain’s Socialist Party.

“With his behaviour, Milei has brought the relationship between Spain and Argentina to its most serious state in recent history,” Albares said in a video statement.

Milei’s visit broke with diplomatic protocol as he refused to meet Spain’s King Felipe and Sanchez, instead preferring to promote his book alongside Vox leader Santiago Abascal at the party rally.

The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said in a post on social messaging app X that “attacks against family members of political leaders have no place in our culture”.

Spain’s main opposition party, the conservative People’s Party (PP), refused to support Madrid’s stance, with party sources saying that Sanchez should have provided explanations about the alleged corruption case weeks ago.

“His silence generates internal doubts, but also distrust abroad,” a PP source said, adding that the party’s job was to oppose the Spanish government and not Milei.

A city court said in April it was looking into accusations of influence peddling and business corruption against Sanchez’s wife, brought in a private complaint by Manos Limpias, or Clean Hands, an anti-corruption activist group.

However, Madrid’s prosecuting authority later said it was appealing to have the case thrown out for lack of evidence.

Sanchez decided to stay in office after five days of weighing his future once the probe against his wife was announced.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. File.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Spain on May 4 denounced comments by Argentina’s presidency which had accused the Spanish government of bringing “poverty and death” to its own people.

The office of Argentinian President Javier Milei had published a statement on X, accusing Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of damaging Spain’s economy and stability.

The post appears to have been in reaction to earlier comments from Spanish Transport Minister Oscar Puente who had suggested Mr. Milei is on drugs.

“The Spanish government categorically rejects the unfounded words… which do not reflect the relations between the two countries and their fraternal people,” the Spanish foreign ministry said.

Mr. Milei’s office also accused Mr. Sanchez of “endangering the unity of the kingdom, by sealing an agreement with the separatists and leading Spain to its ruin”, an allusion to a pact Sanchez’s Socialist Party struck with Basque and Catalan regionalist parties to form a government.

Mr. Milei will travel to Spain in two weeks for an event on May 18 and 19 organised by the far-right opposition party Vox, which is in a race with the Socialists in next month’s European elections.