{"id":19632,"date":"2026-04-10T08:53:43","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T08:53:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/19632\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T08:53:43","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T08:53:43","slug":"trump-vs-sanchez-why-europeans-should-back-spain-against-us-threats-european-council-on-foreign-relations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/19632\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump vs Sanchez: Why Europeans should back Spain against US threats \u2013 European Council on Foreign Relations"},"content":{"rendered":"

Spain\u2019s prime minister Pedro S\u00e1nchez has told US president Donald Trump something he is not used to hearing: no. By refusing America use of Spanish bases for its military operation in Iran, S\u00e1nchez has brought up more than just a war of words<\/a>. Trump\u2019s response to threaten<\/a> a trade embargo with Spain has shown how far America will go to get what it wants\u2014and is a test for how Europe reacts when pressure is applied to one of its own.<\/p>\n

Spain\u2019s move was a sovereign decision about how its territory is used in a military operation. S\u00e1nchez argued the US operation did not meet the necessary political or legal conditions, warning that America\u2019s objectives were uncertain and risked destabilising an already volatile region. Britain likewise initially refused<\/a> America the use of certain facilities, and has since limited it to defensive operations. Trump called<\/a> the UK\u2019s decision \u201cshocking\u201d and \u201cvery uncooperative\u201d, reserving his stronger language for Spain which he labelled a \u201cterrible\u201d ally and a country America wants \u201cnothing to do with\u201d. A day later, US treasury secretary Scott Bessent added<\/a> that Spain had \u201cput American lives at risk\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0The Trump administration has already threatened<\/a> EU member states with tariffs and sanctions to change the bloc\u2019s trade and technology policies. Now, it is threatening to cut all economic relations with an EU member state to influence its security policy. This escalation risks establishing a precedent in which European governments face economic consequences for not aligning with US military actions. European leaders must see this coercion for what it is and respond collectively to defend the autonomy of the EU and its member states.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t shoot the messenger<\/p>\n

European governments and institutions should respond firmly and collectively. Threats against one EU member state should be treated as pressure against the bloc as a whole. Division in the face of Trump is dangerous.<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Speak loudly and in unison<\/p>\n

Various European leaders including France\u2019s Emmanuel Macron, European Council president Antonio Costa and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen have expressed<\/a> their support for Spain. But a joint European statement would send a stronger signal of solidarity. This should underline why Europe is right not to get involved: a prolonged war, especially one without clear rationale, risks<\/a> further destabilising the Middle East and undermining<\/a> Europe\u2019s own strategic interests. European leaders should therefore also call on the US and Israel to end the operation and seek a negotiated solution.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Use the Anti-Coercion Instrument<\/p>\n

The European Commission should make clear that economic coercion against a member state would trigger the EU\u2019s Anti-Coercion Instrument<\/a>. The commission has already taken an initial step in this direction, stating<\/a> that it stands with Spain and is ready to safeguard EU interests through its common trade policy while urging Washington to respect the existing EU-US trade deal.<\/p>\n

This instrument<\/a> was designed precisely for situations in which \u201ca third country seeks to pressure the European Union or an EU Member State into making a particular choice by applying, or threatening to apply, measures affecting trade or investment\u201d. Signalling a willingness to deploy it, supported by a qualified majority of member states, would send a powerful message of deterrence. It would become a test case for how the instrument could be applied in practice, strengthening the commission\u2019s capacity to deploy it and signalling that it is not bluffing about enforcing it.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Make this a moment for political unity, again<\/p>\n

The European Parliament should publicly back Madrid\u2019s right to take sovereign foreign policy decisions consistent with international law. Parliamentary support would reinforce the message that the issue concerns the EU as a whole, not just Spain. It would also provide an opportunity to demonstrate cross-party solidarity and normalise parliamentary politics around a shared defence of member states\u2019 autonomy.<\/p>\n

European leaders must see this coercion for what it is and respond collectively to defend the autonomy of the EU and its member states<\/p>\n

Even among European far-right parties lie coalitions<\/a> of those who do not want to capitulate to Washington. This moment could push them towards a common EU position, forcing them to prioritise national sovereignty over alignment with the US. For die-hard Trumpians, this could drive a wedge between them and the more traditional national sovereigntists.<\/p>\n

A unified European response has discouraged escalation from Trump before when he advanced the idea of acquiring Greenland. This helped discourage<\/a> further pressure before the dispute escalated. Markets reacted<\/a> swiftly then and would likely do so again here.<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Hold the line<\/p>\n

European governments should not amplify pressure on Spain or any other member state standing up to Trump. During a March 3rd Oval Office meeting<\/a> with German chancellor Friedrich Merz in which Trump criticised Spain over its NATO contribution, Merz replied that Germany was working to persuade Spain to increase defence spending. Such remarks risk reinforcing a narrative in Washington rather than defending a fellow European government. While Merz later acknowledged<\/a> in a press conference that economic retaliation against Spain would effectively target the EU, the moment to challenge Trump and signal European unity had passed.<\/p>\n

A chance to change<\/p>\n

Spain has long been among the more outspoken European critics of actions by the Trump administration, and it has the public support to do so. As of November 2025<\/a>, just 10% of Spaniards saw the US as an ally to the EU\u2014and that was before it threatened to invade Greenland. Though,\u00a0while Spain\u00a0may be a\u00a0louder voice in criticising America\u2019s foreign policy turn, every European country ECFR polled in November had a declining view of their transatlantic ally. Other European capitals can use the opportunity of Madrid\u2019s outspoken criticism to question Trump\u2019s decisions.<\/p>\n

\"Which<\/a><\/p>\n

By attacking Iran, together with Israel, the Trump administration has embarked on a war of choice. The motivations and objectives of the attack on Iran remain unclear and ever-changing. What began as a strike now risks expanding into a prolonged conflict with significant economic and geopolitical consequences. Even if Europe stays out of it, these will be far reaching. Disruption<\/a> to global trade through the Strait of Hormuz is already pushing up oil prices. Standing up to this war is the only clear option for Europe, or it risks getting dragged into another long, deadly conflict in the Middle East with no clear objective and no clear end in sight. European leaders should not just stand up to American coercion for Spain\u2019s sake, but for their own too.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\tThe European Council on Foreign Relations does not take collective positions. ECFR publications only represent the views of their individual authors.\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Spain\u2019s prime minister Pedro S\u00e1nchez has told US president Donald Trump something he is not used to hearing:…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":19633,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[129],"tags":[250,11941,307,304],"class_list":{"0":"post-19632","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-pedro-sanchez","8":"tag-china","9":"tag-dare","10":"tag-europe","11":"tag-pedro-sanchez"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@people\/116379569574640342","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19632","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19632"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19632\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19633"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19632"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19632"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19632"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}