Felipe VI defends that the war in Ukraine justifies increasing military spending

Felipe VI has defended the increase in arms spending in his speech at the Military Easter ceremony held at the Royal Palace of Madrid, attended by Queen Letizia, the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, the Defense Minister, Margarita Robles , that of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, and the leadership of the three Armies.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine, which, according to the monarch, has been “unjustifiable, illegal and brutal”, has highlighted, he said, “the importance of investing in Defense” so that the Armed Forces “can comply with everything that is demanded of them” by putting European security at risk. To this end, he has underlined the advisability of providing them with the necessary resources to guarantee “the highest quality” training, sufficient military capabilities and cutting-edge technology, and “flexible and adequate” operability.

“The challenge now is to acquire the means and equip the units with what is necessary to achieve an even more modern, effective, viable and sustainable joint force in the medium and long term”, Felipe de Borbón has demanded in line with the commitment of the Government of raise military spending to 2% of GDP in 2029, formalized at the NATO summit held in Madrid last June, a promise that strained relations in the coalition.

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 places it at 1.2 percent of GDP. Felipe VI has pointed out that the armed conflict in Ukraine “affects all countries”, for which reason he has stressed the need to maintain unity of action with the partners and allies of NATO and the EU.

“This war, far from undermining unity and causing fissures among all of us who defend international law, freedom, peace, democratic values ​​and an international order based on rules, what it has achieved is to strengthen our cohesion and present a front against the invasion of Ukraine”, he stated.

After two years with capacity restrictions and with the mandatory nature of the mask, the traditional act that brings together the leadership of the three Armies and the Civil Guard on Epiphany Day has recovered the usual format, with the presence of 169 guests.