Biden leaves Spain out of a summit with "close allies" to act against cyber attacks

The White House has left Spain out of one of the great diplomatic initiatives of the Joe Biden administration. As signed by the ABC correspondent in Washington, David Alandete, the Government of Pedro Sánchez will not be present at the meeting of the US Government with "close partners" to establish common lines of action against cyberattacks.

The countries that are present at this meeting are: Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Lithuania, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Poland, Republic of Korea, Romania, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates and United Kingdom.

In this sense, the National Security Council of the Presidency of the United States has virtually summoned representatives of 30 countries this week to coordinate faced with this problem that affects all the great powers.

This issue worries the Joe Biden administration and also US experts. Even the director of the FBI, Christopher Wray, has compared it to the threat of jihadist terrorism. In this context, cyber blackmail payments exceeded $ 400 million worldwide in 2020, according to data recorded by the White House.

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Regarding the absence of Spain, the newspaper ABC has been able to know the official position of the White House: "There are a series of reasons why certain countries were invited to participate, including the agenda, the availability of partners and logistical considerations. But the most important thing is that this is not our first international meeting, and it will not be the last. they participate are only close allies. "

"This meeting is the first of many conversations between international partners participating this week and beyond. It does not mean that the designated countries participating are the only ones we will work with in anti-cyberbullying efforts." White House sources explain to leave the door open for future conversations with the Government of Spain regarding this matter.

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The rift between Washington and Madrid

The absence of Spain in this summit opens a new chapter in the distancing that the two administrations maintain, a few weeks after one year of Joe Biden's victory in the US elections. In this sense, the US Democratic administration maintains a certain resentment with the Spanish coalition government, the result of the disagreements caused by the refusal of the Executive of Pedro Sánchez to firmly condemn the dictatorships in Cuba and Venezuela.

Various initiatives have been promoted from the United States, inciting the international community to denounce the reality that these Latin American countries are experiencing. initiatives to which the Government of Sánchez has not joined.

This position of Moncloa has caused a prominent Democratic senator to accuse Pedro Sánchez of being "outside of democracy and human rights." for his political stance on issues that fully affect the Latin American reality.

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