Eduardo González
Defense Minister Margarita Robles defended on Tuesday the need to strengthen the European pillar of the Atlantic Alliance, days after US President Donald Trump announced the possible withdrawal of troops from Germany, Italy, and Spain due to these countries’ lack of support in the Iran-Contra conflict.
“We are very clear that the European Union pillar must be strengthened. Spain’s position, based on conviction and principles, is clear: commitment to our allies, to peace, respect for international law, and no to illegal wars,” Robles stated during her participation in the “Vanguard Forums” in Barcelona.
The minister also reiterated that Spain is firmly committed to NATO, “both on the Alliance’s eastern flank, on land, in the maritime domain, in the airspace over Lithuania, and in various countries protecting the Baltic Sea.” “Within NATO, Spain is one of the countries that collaborates the most, and it does so with what is most important: people,” stated the Minister of Defense. “We believe in democracy, in the Atlantic Alliance, in defense, and in multilateralism, and that is why we are here,” she added.
Last Wednesday, Trump announced that his administration “is studying and analyzing the possible reduction of troops in Germany,” specifically 5,000 personnel, in response to remarks by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, in which he criticized the war in Iran and stated that the United States is being “humiliated” by the prolongation of the conflict. “The Iranians are obviously very skilled at negotiating, or rather, very skilled at not negotiating, letting the Americans travel to Islamabad and then leave again without any results,” he added.
The following day, when asked by reporters at the White House if he planned to do the same with Spain and Italy, Trump replied: “Yes, probably. Why shouldn’t I? Italy hasn’t been of any help to us, and Spain has been horrible, absolutely horrible.”
Since the start of the US-Israeli offensive against Iran, launched on February 28, Trump has expressed his outrage with Spain for denying him the use of its Rota and Morón air bases (as well as Italy) and its airspace for the operations. The US president has even threatened to “cut off all trade” with Spain, and an internal Pentagon memo has even raised the possibility of suspending Spain from NATO, something not permitted by the treaties. Furthermore, the US president has threatened to withdraw his country from NATO due to the allies’ (including Spain’s) refusal to cooperate in reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
This past Monday, the Minister of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Courts, Félix Bolaños, declared that the Government had “absolutely no concern on this matter” because it had not received “any communication, any indication from the American government” about the possible withdrawal of troops and insisted that Spain is a “reliable” NATO partner “that can always be counted on to defend international law and to defend peace.”