Echenique criticizes Felipe VI for claiming the increase in military spending: "He is very clear about who he represents."

The parliamentary spokesman for United We Can, Pablo Echenique, criticized this Friday that Felipe VI had defended the increase in military spending in his speech during the celebration of Military Easter.

“He is very clear about the country and society model that he defends and who he represents,” Echenique said in a post on his Twitter profile.

“The king asks to spend more public money on bombs and weapons. One thing must be recognized to the man: he is never wrong when choosing electoral platform. He is very clear about the model of the country and the society that he defends and whom he represents”, he added.

During the celebration of Military Easter, the head of state condemned the “unjustifiable, illegal and brutal” Russian invasion of Ukraine, which he believes has “made evident” the importance of investing in defense and improving the capabilities and means with which count the Armed Forces.

“Among the challenges that we Europeans face, the war in Ukraine has made evident the importance of investing in defence”, Felipe VI has maintained in view of the need for the Armies and the Navy to have “the necessary resources to guarantee a training of the highest quality, sufficient military capabilities and cutting-edge technology, and flexible and adequate operations”.

Thus, he has pointed out the increase in investments in the 2023 Budgets and has pointed out that now the “challenge” is to acquire the means and provide military units with what is necessary to achieve an “even more modern, effective, viable and sustainable force in the medium and long term”. The Defense budget for this year amounts to 12,825 million euros, which represents an increase of 25.8 percent over the previous year, and situates it at 1.2 percent of GDP, an increase that generated tensions in within the government coalition.