Pedro Sánchez will not attend Donald Trump's reception for international leaders in New York, despite receiving an invitation. Moncloa says the trip had already been organised when the invitation arrived, and the government cites scheduling reasons.
That same day, Venezuelan president Delcy Rodríguez left her seat at the United Nations and walked over to greet the Spanish prime minister. The encounter took place on the first day of the UN General Assembly's high-level week.
Moncloa sources said Rodríguez asked to continue discussing the situation in Venezuela. Sánchez said Spain remained committed to the region's future. No further meeting between the two leaders is scheduled.
Journalist Patrícia Vasconcellos recorded the exchange and posted it on X. Euronews and other Spanish-language outlets also reported Rodríguez's approach.
Rodríguez approached Sánchez while he was with Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares and Vice President Sara Aagesen. She left the room after the brief encounter.
Venezuela and Sánchez's decision to stay away from Trump's social reception were among the basic points of interest on his first day of the UN high-level week. Reuters also reported that Trump's New York programme included a planned brief pull-aside with Rodríguez.
Moncloa says the decision was not a political gesture. Government spokesperson Elma Saiz said the invitation arrived only a few days before the event, after the full trip had already been arranged. Albares also rejected the suggestion that Sánchez had snubbed Trump, describing the reception as a social event that some leaders attend while others miss it because of their schedules.
The official programme includes Sánchez's attendance, alongside Aagesen and Albares, at the opening of the general debate of the 81st period of sessions of the United Nations General Assembly. Trump will speak at the opening.
This will be Sánchez's ninth appearance at the opening and his last during his current mandate, since Spain's general elections will have taken place before the next session.
Reuters and Spanish media have reported the government's explanation. Other coverage notes that no public official engagement was listed for Sánchez during the reception period, fuelling speculation that his absence carried a political message. Moncloa rejects that interpretation.
His programme also includes a meeting with British Prime Minister Andy Burham. He is due to attend events focused on protecting children from artificial intelligence and defending the UN sustainable development goals.
Sánchez is also due to attend a tribute to writer and journalist Gloria Steinem. Moncloa has announced planned bilateral meetings with the governor of California and Apple's chief executive, as well as a meeting with a former prime minister of the Commonwealth of Australia.
On Monday, Sánchez met UN Secretary-General António Guterres. They discussed multilateral priorities and sustainable development, as well as climate change and artificial intelligence.
Guterres praised cooperation between the United Nations and Spain. Sánchez recognised the organisation's work amid a period of international fragmentation.
The New York visit will continue on Wednesday 23, when Sánchez will be the basic guest at an event organised by mayor Zohran Mamdani.
His UN address is scheduled for 02.00 on the night from Wednesday to Thursday. He will then travel to Boston to speak at Harvard University and meet the governor of Massachusetts.
Spain's domestic political disputes are following him across the Atlantic. On Monday, judge Juan Carlos Peinado announced that Begoña Gómez would be sent to oral trial before a popular jury. The decision is likely to come up at Sánchez's press conference.
The absence from Trump's reception has already drawn criticism from the Partido Popular. Its parliamentary spokesperson, Ester Muñoz, mocked the explanation and suggested it could divert attention from Ceuta.
Ceuta is also on Albares's diplomatic agenda. The foreign minister plans to meet Morocco's Naser Burita in New York to discuss the situation in the autonomous city and the return of migrants still there after the mass entry at the end of July.
No date has been set while the schedules are being coordinated. Albares says he remains in contact with Rabat over a new social-media call urging people to enter Ceuta on Wednesday. As earlier coverage noted, the city has become a visible pressure point for the government.
