U.S. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden are greeted by King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain at the NATO gala dinner at the Royal Palace of Madrid, June 28, 2022.
Russia's war on Ukraine dominated a gala dinner hosted by Spain's King Felipe VI to welcome some 40 heads of state and government on the eve of the NATO summit in Madrid.
"War has returned to Europe," he told the guests.
"Russia's unjustifiable aggression against Ukraine is a flagrant violation of the territorial integrity of a sovereign state. No country is unaffected by this war."
Biden sat to the king's right in the elaborately decorated dining room of the sumptuous 18th century Royal Palace of Madrid.
Felipe said the palace had hosted a previous NATO gala dinner in 1997 when NATO took the first step toward enlargement in the hope of overcoming the Cold War.
The summit is set to agree to stockpile weapons and equipment in Eastern Europe and to dramatically increase the number of troops based in the region, or on standby in their own countries, as a rapid-reaction force.
