Zelenski makes surprise visit to Madrid for talks with Sánchez and Latin American leaders
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Madrid on Wednesday for high-level meetings coinciding with the Ibero-American Summit, with his visit kept secret for security reasons until his plane landed.
Zelenskyy's visit includes a packed schedule of meetings over the summit's two days. The Ukrainian president will participate in a gathering with several leaders who have traveled to the Spanish capital, including UN Secretary-General António Guterres and European Council President António Costa. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is also expected to attend, along with other Ibero-American representatives.
In addition to the group meeting, Zelenskyy will hold separate bilateral talks with Sánchez and with Spanish King Felipe VI. The summit in Madrid presents an opportunity for Kyiv to strengthen its contacts with Latin American countries, a region where the war triggered by the Russian invasion continues to generate opposing positions.
Latin American leaders
According to government sources, Zelenskyy plans to meet with representatives from several of the 22 Ibero-American delegations present in Madrid. The far-right presidents of Argentina and Chile, Javier Milei and Jose Antonio Kast, as well as Bolivian conservative Rodrigo Paz, are among the Latin American heads of state in the Spanish capital.
our top priority is strengthening Ukraine's air defences, protecting our people, and expanding defence cooperation and production.
Two weeks ago, Milei made a visit to Madrid where he called Sanchez a "disgraceful dictator" and urged Spaniards to "kick out" his Socialists in the election. The firebrand libertarian has made several unofficial visits to Spain since becoming Argentina's president in 2023, but has never met Sanchez, instead supporting the conservative and far-right opposition.
Economic vision
Against a backdrop of economic uncertainty and international tensions, Felipe VI argued for an open economy and a move away from protectionism. "The best response does not lie in protectionism, but in an open economy based on equal rules for everyone," he told Ibero-American business leaders gathered in Madrid.
The Spanish King rejected the idea that the response should be to close off national economies or raise trade barriers. Instead, he advocated greater openness and cooperation between countries that share values and objectives, highlighting the potential of Ibero-America as a space to deepen ties and generate new economic opportunities.
Felipe VI stressed the region's significant energy resources and strategic raw materials, including critical minerals and rare earths, which could place it in a prominent position in the new international economic landscape. He emphasized the importance of "stable environments, legal certainty and solid, transparent institutions" to attract investment and build trust.
Summit challenges
The Ibero-American format has lost influence in recent years, and reversing that trend is the key goal of the group's 30th summit in Madrid. At the last summit in Ecuador in 2024, only four heads of state attended, and participants failed to adopt a final declaration.
Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares defended the summit amid absences, stating "it is absolutely not a forum in decline." He noted all 22 countries have someone in Madrid, at least their foreign minister, and that absent leaders either rarely travel or face internal problems preventing them from being away for several days. Albares compared this year's attendance to the 2024 summit where only three heads of state attended.
The ideological divide is evident with the absence of leftist allies like Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Albares acknowledged the community's diversity in political colors but argued its strength lies in putting a common voice above differences he regarded as temporary. The Ibero-American Secretary-General, Andrés Allamand, describes it as "the summit of reaffirmation."
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