Donald Trump criticized the Spanish authorities for refusing to provide their military bases to Americans. He called the country a 'terrible ally' and stated that the U.S. would not trade with Spain.
U.S. President Donald Trump plans to sever trade relations with Spain, which he called 'terrible' for its stance on the operation against Iran. Madrid did not support strikes on Iranian territory and did not allow U.S. forces to use its military bases that are jointly managed. Spanish authorities stated that the agreement between Madrid and Washington permits the use of military facilities only 'within the framework of international legality.' Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called for de-escalation of tensions in the Middle East and advocated for a 'diplomatic' solution to the Iran issue.
Trump stated that Madrid previously refused to increase military spending to 5% of GDP. 'They were the only country in NATO that did not agree to raise spending to 5%,' he noted during a meeting with German Chancellor Merz at the White House. 'I don’t think they would agree to raise it to any level at all. They wanted to keep it at 2%, and even then they don’t pay 2%.'
The U.S. President added that American troops could use Spanish bases if they wanted to, despite Madrid's position. 'We could just fly in and use it. No one is going to tell us not to use it, but we don’t need to,' the American leader stated.
He also expressed 'surprise' at the position of the United Kingdom, which decided not to participate in the offensive part of the campaign and limited itself to defensive support.
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