Delcy Rodríguez approaches Sánchez in the middle of the UN Assembly to talk about Venezuela

Madrid / BarcelonaDuring the United Nations General Assembly, taking place in New York, an unprecedented image has occurred: the President of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, approached the Spanish President, Pedro Sánchez, to address the future of her country. According to sources from the Spanish delegation, it was the initiative of the new Venezuelan leader—following the arrest of Nicolás Maduro by the United States—who asked Sánchez to be able to sit down and talk about the political situation. The same sources add that the Spanish President responded to the offer and reaffirmed his "commitment" to the region.

This approach is taking place, in fact, a few weeks before the Ibero-American summit in Madrid, for which the Spanish government has made a request to Venezuela to attend. For the Moncloa, this is a very relevant meeting to be able to strengthen ties with Latin America now that the classic alliances of the West are wavering with the Trump administration.

On the other hand, sources from the Spanish delegation also report other bilateral meetings that Sánchez has had throughout this first day of the United Nations General Assembly. Sánchez held a meeting with the British Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, in Central Park, and highlighted the need to strengthen ties in light of the "complexity" of the global landscape. For the Moncloa, in fact, a "rapprochement" of the United Kingdom to the EU is fundamental, despite Brexit. In the same vein, the Spanish Prime Minister also held a bilateral meeting with Namibia on health issues, with Lebanon—in which Sánchez showed his commitment to territorial integrity against Israel—and Panama.

No reception with Trump

The person Sánchez did not want to take a photo with is Trump. The Spanish president did not attend the reception his American counterpart hosted in New York this Tuesday on the occasion of the start of the UN General Assembly. Sources from Moncloa have alleged "scheduling reasons," even though the socialist leader had nothing scheduled on his agenda that would coincide with the reception. The Spanish government spokesperson, Elma Saiz, explained that the invitation arrived "a few days ago" and "with just enough time": "The trip was already all prepared," said Saiz at a press conference this Tuesday, after the council of ministers. In any case, the decision comes amidst a climate of tension between Spain and the US – Trump even went so far as to threaten in July to cut off trade with Spain – and at a time when Sánchez is seeking to establish himself as the antithesis of Trump on an international scale.

Sánchez's trip to New York, with which he seeks to take the opportunity to broaden the focus that is currently centered on the crisis in Ceuta, is intended to vindicate his discourse against techno-oligarchies and the far-right and in defense of multilateralism. "Spain has a firm commitment to multilateralism" in the face of "attempts to dismantle the rules-based order," he argued a few hours ago at the Partners for Multilateralism (P4M) summit, organized by the President of the European Council, António Costa, with the leaders of Canada and Kenya.

In the last few hours he has also met personally with António Guterres, who this year ends his term as UN Secretary-General after a mandate marked by tensions with Trump. The Spanish president, in this sense, wanted to congratulate him for his work in the current context of "fragmentation" and questioning of international institutions: "His effort has made it possible to preserve the central role of the UN as the main space for dialogue, commitment and the search for shared solutions to global challenges," he wrote on X.

Sánchez, who will indeed attend Trump's speech at the opening of the General Assembly, did not attend the reception offered by the US president last year, because it was King Felipe VI who led the Spanish delegation. He was also not present at the 2024 one, when the host was President Joe Biden, but in this case because it coincided with his speech before the General Assembly.

The first two years in which Sánchez traveled to New York as president, in 2018 and 2019, he did attend with his wife, Begoña Gómez, the receptions offered by Trump, while in 2020 and 2021 there were none due to the pandemic. He was also present at those offered by Biden in September 2022 and 2023, as reported by Efe.

Beyond the meeting at the United Nations, Sánchez has other events this Tuesday in New York, where he has traveled alongside his third vice president, Sara Aagesen, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares. Throughout the day, he is scheduled to meet with the British Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, and also to attend a tribute to the writer and journalist Gloria Steinem, a feminist icon who passed away at the beginning of September.

Additionally, he has also participated in an event on the protection of childhood in the face of AI – the day after he presented his plan for the regulation of artificial intelligence– and another on the defense of the UN's sustainable development goals, two topics on which he also confronts Donald Trump.