Progressive leaders from across the world convened in Barcelona on Saturday in a bid to rally support for multilateral cooperation and democratic values, at a time when global politics appears to be shifting to the right and tensions between major powers are escalating.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez — a vocal critic of US President Donald Trump and of the US–Israeli conflict with Iran — hosted two overlapping events focused on democracy and progressive politics at a convention centre in Spain’s second-largest city.
Although Trump was not directly named during the press-accessible portion of the first gathering, his strongly unilateral approach — marking a departure from decades of US foreign policy and including criticism of institutions such as NATO and the United Nations — loomed over the discussions.
‘We all see the attacks against the multilateral system, the repeated attempts to undermine international law and the dangerous normalisation of the use of force,’ Sánchez said.
Germany’s Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil echoed the sentiment, telling activists: ‘The far right is international, so we must be too.’
Meanwhile, Trump took to social media on Saturday to criticise Spain and Sánchez, particularly over Madrid’s refusal to allow the US to use jointly operated military bases for Iran-related operations and its stance on defence spending.
‘Has anybody looked at how badly the country of Spain is doing. Their financial numbers, despite contributing almost nothing to NATO and their military defense, are absolutely horrendous. Sad to watch!!!’ Trump posted on Truth Social.
Despite public debt levels comparable to other developed economies, Spain remains one of the world’s leading economies under Sánchez’s administration.
A number of prominent international leaders attended the IV Meeting in Defence of Democracy, including Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, and Colombian President Gustavo Petro.
Later in the day, Sánchez, Lula and Ramaphosa remained at the venue for the inaugural Global Progressive Mobilization, where around 3,000 left-leaning politicians, analysts and activists gathered to exchange ideas.
Former US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton addressed the event via video, saying ‘we can shape a better future no matter what the odds may be against that promise’.
Ramaphosa announced that South Africa plans to submit a draft resolution to the UN General Assembly in September proposing the creation of an International Panel on Inequality, aimed at addressing widening wealth gaps both within and between countries.
He also called for reform of the UN Security Council, citing conflicts involving permanent members, including Russia’s war in Ukraine and the US role in Iran.
‘The United Nations has now become a toothless organisation because those who are members of the Security Council are the ones who continue to violate all the laws and the rights,’ Ramaphosa said at the gathering of socialists and progressives.
Among policy ideas discussed, Sheinbaum promoted a proposal for governments to allocate 10% of their military budgets to reforestation efforts.
‘Each year, instead of planting the seeds of war, we will plant the seeds of life,’ she said.
Sheinbaum also indicated her intention to propose a declaration — without specifying the forum — opposing any military intervention in Cuba, after Trump suggested he might ‘have the honour of taking Cuba’, though his remarks lacked clarity.
Sánchez, for his part, emphasised the need to regulate social media platforms to curb hate speech and disinformation, and confirmed that Spain is working with Brazil on a potential tax targeting the ultrarich.
Spain–Brazil summit sets tone ahead of Barcelona gathering
The Barcelona gatherings followed a summit held a day earlier between Sánchez and Lula, underscoring the continued cooperation between two of the few major progressive leaders who have retained domestic support while advocating multilateralism, human rights, environmental protection and gender equality — positions increasingly challenged by figures such as Trump, Argentina’s President Javier Milei and Europe’s far right.
‘We want to close some open wounds,’ Sánchez said during a joint press conference following the first Spain–Brazil summit, held at Barcelona’s Palau de Pedralbes.
The meeting — the first of its kind between Spain and a Latin American nation — highlighted the strategic importance of Brazil for Spain, as well as the close political alignment between the two leaders.
‘We are in the same trench,’ Lula said, warning that progressive leadership is becoming scarcer and stressing the need to ‘give hope to the world’ amid a resurgence of ‘Nazism and fascism’.
He added that ‘democracy is weakening’ while extremism is ‘gaining strength’.
Sánchez also urged closer ties between Europe and Latin America, calling for a shared ‘message of cooperation, openness, mutual trust and shared prosperity’, and insisted that ‘It’s possible to govern for the social majority, to extend rights without giving up economic growth’.
Describing the summit as ‘historic’, Sánchez noted that 15 agreements were signed, including a pact on critical minerals.
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El presidente @sanchezcastejon ha participado en la IV Reunión “En Defensa de la Democracia”, donde ha hecho un llamamiento a reforzar la acción conjunta para proteger los sistemas democráticos.
— La Moncloa (@desdelamoncloa) April 18, 2026
🗣️ “La democracia no puede darse por sentada”.
Más info 👇 https://t.co/zZvKGDkd7S
Los ataques a la democracia no entienden de fronteras.
— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) April 18, 2026
Hoy, tenemos la certeza de que esta alianza internacional está decidida a actuar unida para un multilateralismo reforzado, avanzar en la gobernanza digital y atajar la desigualdad. pic.twitter.com/IdYK9GyJif
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