The German chancellor fell back into NATO talking points as the US president called for a trade embargo on Spain
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz refused to back Spain while US President Donald Trump trashed Madrid over its refusal to host American planes for the ongoing war in the Middle East.
Instead, Merz fell into NATO talking points, criticizing Madrid for not committing to the military bloc’s target of 5% of GDP for annual defense spending.
Trump described Spain as a “terrible” ally and also cited its unwillingness to increase defense spending.
“We are trying to convince Spain to catch up,” Merz said during a meeting with Trump at the White House on Tuesday.
“As the president said, it’s correct – Spain is the only one not willing to accept that. We are trying to convince them that this is part of our common security, that we all have to comply with these numbers. So Spain has to comply with that,” Merz said.
Last year, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez rejected the 5% pledge as “unreasonable.”
The Spanish government said on Tuesday that it had “the necessary resources to contain the possible impact of the trade embargo” and urged the US to uphold its trade agreement with the EU. European Commission spokesman Olof Gill said the bloc would ensure that its interests are “fully protected.”
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