Pedro Sánchez and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Launch Progressive Summit in Barcelona Against Far Right

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva launched a progressive leaders’ push in Barcelona with a first bilateral summit and a broader schedule of meetings framed as an alternative front to Donald Trump and the global far right.

“Brazil's Lula and Sánchez of Spain headline meetings of progressive leaders in Barcelona Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is starting a two-day visit to Spain where he and his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sánchez will meet with other leaders, mostly of mid-to-small-sized countries, who are concerned with the fate of the democrati”

ABC News

The South China Morning Post reported that Sánchez and Lula signed “15 deals” at their first bilateral summit, with the Spanish leader saying, “The relationship between Spain and Brazil goes far beyond the strictly bilateral,” and adding that “Peace and the values that sustain it are being attacked by a reactionary wave.”

ABC News

The same report said the meeting marked the start of “two days of talks in Barcelona,” where Sánchez was hosting “about a dozen heads of state and government.”

Catalan News described the initiative as a progressive summit titled “In Defense of Democracy,” saying Sánchez was gathering “15 world leaders on Friday and Saturday in Barcelona.”

Catalan News also said the Spain–Brazil bilateral summit began “at the Palau de Pedralbes in Barcelona” on Friday morning, with Sánchez welcoming Lula “with military honours.”

ABC News likewise said Lula and Sánchez would meet with other leaders “mostly of mid-to-small-sized countries” concerned with “the fate of the democratic order and the rise of the populist far right.”

Reuters framed the overall gathering as “Global leftist leaders gather in Spain to mobilise against far right,” tying the event to a wider mobilization theme.

The sources describe the Barcelona meetings as explicitly tied to criticism of U.S. President Donald Trump and to concerns about democratic norms, with multiple outlets connecting the summit’s agenda to the “rise of the populist far right.”

ABC News said Lula and Sánchez are “both outspoken in their criticism of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has threatened both with punitive tariffs,” and it reported that the leaders were expected to sign agreements “regarding their economies, technology and social policies.”

Al-Jazeera Net

ABC News also quoted Lula telling El País, “This is not going to going to be an anti-Trump meeting,” and said the purpose was “to discuss the state of democracy, to see what went wrong and what we have to do to repair it.”

The South China Morning Post similarly described Sánchez’s aim to “counter the US president” and to “revive the political left,” while also quoting Sánchez’s line that “while others open wounds, what we want is to close and heal them”.

Catalan News said the summit is “as an alternative front to Donald Trump and the global far-right,” and it added that organizers were warning that the international far-right might try to “counter-program” the conferences.

Reuters’ framing of “mobilise against far right” placed the event within a broader mobilization narrative rather than a narrow bilateral agenda.

In addition, the Washington Post headline described the gathering as a place where Lula and Sánchez would “work for peace,” aligning the summit’s messaging with a peace-oriented theme.

Across the sources, the event’s timing is also tied to other international developments: ABC News said Sánchez’s government declared its airspace closed to “U.S. planes being used in the Iran war” and said it was not allowing the U.S. to use “jointly operated military bases in southern Spain” for actions related to the war.

The Barcelona program described in the sources includes multiple gatherings, with named leaders from Latin America, Europe, and beyond expected to attend or participate in speeches and sessions.

ABC News said the event on Saturday is the “IV Meeting in Defense of Democracy,” launched by Brazil and Spain in 2024 as a forum to exchange ideas aimed at combating “extremism, polarization and misinformation” that undermine participatory democracy.

ABC News added that this edition would include “the presence of European Council president Antonio Costa,” along with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Colombia President Gustavo Petro, and other leaders from Uruguay and Lithuania to Ghana and Albania.

Catalan News said the summit would include “More than 60 speakers from 40 countries,” and it also said “Up to 400 mayors from Spain and around the world are also expected.”

Catalan News further stated that the Global Progressive Mobilization would be officially presented at the Fira Barcelona, described as a “necessary alternative” to the far-right.

ABC News said many leaders from the first event would stay for the “inaugural Global Progressive Mobilization,” held at the same venue later on Saturday, and it described the event as expected to have “3,000 attendees.”

ABC News also named U.S. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy as expected to attend, and it described the venue as “a sprawling conference center in Spain’s second city,” reinforcing the scale of the planned sessions.

The sources also show how European politics and diplomatic disputes are interwoven with the Barcelona summit’s narrative, including references to Spain’s internal opposition and to European leaders’ participation.

Diari ARA reported that the PP was focusing on Venezuela during Sánchez’s anti-Trump summit, saying Pedro Sánchez received Lula da Silva with military honors in Barcelona while “an alternative reception with honors was held for the Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado” at the PP headquarters in Madrid.

Diari ARA

Diari ARA said Machado, described as the “new Nobel Peace laureate,” was on a “full European tour,” and it reported that she had a meeting with Vox leader Santiago Abascal and that she had “preferred not to meet” with the Spanish government.

The same outlet quoted Sánchez’s stance during the progressive summit, saying he was willing to meet with Machado but that she “considered it not opportune,” and it said Sánchez reiterated his executive’s position against “foreign interference,” in reference to Donald Trump’s attack.

Diari ARA also described the PP’s position by quoting Feijóo calling for “free elections with an explicit calendar as soon as possible” in Venezuela and calling for “the total liberation of all Venezuelans” and the “dismantling of repressive structures” in statements attributed to Machado.

Catalan News added a different European angle by saying the event would be missing prominent progressive leaders from Europe, “such as Britain's Keir Starmer and Denmark's Mette Frederiksen.”

ABC News connected the summit to European institutional leadership by naming European Council president Antonio Costa as part of the Saturday program, while also describing Sheinbaum’s participation as tied to Spain’s King Felipe VI acknowledging the Spanish conquest of the Americas had led to the “abuse” of native peoples.

In the same ABC News account, Pol Morillas, director of the Barcelona-based foreign affairs think tank CIDOB, said the gatherings are meant to be a “show of force” by traditional democratic leaders and linked the meetings to the speech by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney about “middle powers”.

The sources portray the Barcelona meetings as part of an ongoing political campaign with concrete next steps, including additional events, speeches, and follow-on gatherings that extend beyond the initial bilateral summit.

“The PP is focusing on Venezuela during Sánchez's anti-Trump summit Feijóo receives opposition leader María Corina Machado with honors and Ayuso will decorate her amidst criticism of the Spanish president's photo with "narco-states" MadridWhile Pedro Sánchez received Lula da Silva, president of Brazil, with military honors in Barcelona, at the PP headquarters in Madrid an alternative reception with honors was held for the Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado”

Diari ARA

Catalan News said the summit would be followed by the Global Progressive Mobilization being presented at the Fira Barcelona, and it described the initiative as a “necessary alternative” to the far-right, with “More than 60 speakers from 40 countries” and “Up to 400 mayors from Spain and around the world” expected to speak and attend.

Reuters

ABC News described the Saturday schedule as including the “IV Meeting in Defense of Democracy” and said the first two editions of that event were held at the United Nations and in Santiago, Chile, last year, establishing continuity for the forum.

ABC News also said the Global Progressive Mobilization would be held later on Saturday at the same venue and expected “3,000 attendees,” with Sánchez and Lula giving speeches and round tables on “wage inequality” and “how to improve election results for progressives.”

The Washington Post headline described the gathering as a place where Lula and Sánchez would “work for peace,” while ABC News added that Lula and Sánchez would meet with other leaders at two events inside a “sprawling conference center” in Barcelona.

The sources also indicate that the summit’s political stakes are tied to broader international policy: ABC News said Sánchez’s government declared its airspace closed to “U.S. planes being used in the Iran war” and said it was not allowing the U.S. to use “jointly operated military bases in southern Spain” for actions related to the war.

Finally, ABC News reported that Lula released a video message expressing “deep solidarity” with Pope Leo XIV following public criticisms made by Trump after the pontiff slammed the Iran war, linking the summit’s diplomatic environment to religious and international messaging.