Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz has publicly criticised the Spanish Government during an official visit to meet US President Donald Trump.
During a press conference yesterday, Merz reprimanded Spain for failing to fulfil its defence spending targets as a NATO member: “We are trying to convince Spain to catch up with the 3 per cent or 3.5 per cent [goal] which we agreed on in NATO.
“And as the President said, it’s correct: Spain is the only one who is not willing to accept that.
“We are trying to convince them that this is a part of our common security that we all have to comply with these numbers. And this is 3.5 per cent for military and another 1.5 per cent for our military infrastructure. So Spain has to comply with that,” Merz said.
Shortly before his commentts, Trump had harshly criticised the Spanish administration, telling reporters he had “told [treasury secretary] Scott [Bessent] to cut off all dealings with Spain”.
Trump added: “Spain has absolutely nothing that we need other than great people. They have great people. But they don’t have great leadership.”
Trump said he had been angered by Spain’s reluctance to increase its defence spending from 2 to 5 per cent along with other NATO countries:
“It started when every European nation, at my request, paid 5 per cent, which they should be doing,” he said. “And everybody was enthusiastic about it – Germany, everybody. And Spain didn’t do it.”
After the US and Israel had started attacks on Iran on February 28, Spain had further angered Trump by not allowing US planes to use its bases for refuelling: “Now Spain actually said that we can’t use their bases. And that’s all right. We don’t, we could use their base if we want.
“We could just fly in and use it. Nobody is going to tell us not to use it. But we don’t have to,” Trump said.
Merz later went on German state TV to defend himself against criticism that he should have stood up for Spain in talks with Trump.
“I was not too solidaric [united] with the US in retrospect,” Merz said. He added that the criticism of Spain for failing to fulfil the NATO targets was not something new.
He said, though, he had told Trump “in very clear words” at a private lunch later that Spain was a part of the European Union and that it was not possible to discriminate against it when it came to trade.
“I told him: You cannot make an isolated deal with Germany or a deal with all of Europe except Spain,” Merz added.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez today doubled down on his opposition to military action against Iran, saying he would continue to forbid the US from using Spanish bases for its war efforts.
“We are not going to be complicit in something that is bad for the world and is also contrary to our values and interests, just out of fear of reprisals from someone”, Sánchez said on Spanish TV.
