American President Donald Trump has issued another extremely harsh criticism of Spain, questioning its place in the North Atlantic Alliance on the eve of the NATO summit in Ankara, Anadolu Agency and ABC News reported.
In a statement made at the White House, Trump directly stated that Madrid is not fulfilling its obligations and refusing to help its partners.
“They are not behaving well“
In his speech, the American leader made an unusual parallel between today's geopolitics and events from the late 19th century.
The President's words: “Ah, the Spanish. They are members of NATO, but not very good members. They say, "No, we don't want to help other people." What do we do? They don't behave well." Historical references: Trump recalled Theodore Roosevelt's storming of San Juan during the Spanish-American War (1898) and added that Cuba was "coming back to us" after decades. Cause of the discord: The tension is caused by the refusal of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to commit to Washington's demand to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP, as well as by the blocking of American flights and access to the bases “Moron“ and “Rota“ during the conflict with Iran.
Progress in negotiations with Tehran and a new Air Force One
In addition to criticism of European allies, in recent hours the American president has made other key statements to reporters:
Iran Diplomacy: Trump said that indirect talks with Tehran in Qatar are making significant progress toward a peace agreement and denuclearization, after weeks of dangerous firefights in the Middle East. The two sides have agreed to establish an official channel of communication. Flight with a gift from Qatar: The president made his first flight aboard a renovated luxury jet gifted by Qatar, which will temporarily serve as Air Force One. Energy Emergency: The White House has issued emergency orders to increase the capacity of the US power grid due to an extreme heat wave threatening power supplies in the eastern states.