Pedro Sánchez and Friedrich Merz have publicly closed a diplomatic crisis between Spain and Germany, stemming from the German chancellor's silence during Donald Trump's criticism of Spain. Ahead of an EU summit in Brussels, Sánchez thanked Merz for privately defending Spain. The leaders exchanged mutual thanks.
The tension arose during a White House meeting where Donald Trump criticized Spain for not accepting 5% of GDP in defense spending. Friedrich Merz, present, stayed silent publicly and said he was trying to convince Pedro Sánchez, angering officials in La Moncloa. Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares criticized Merz: “No me imagino a la canciller Merkel o al canciller Scholz con unas declaraciones de ese tipo. Era otro espíritu europeísta,” and conveyed his displeasure to German counterpart Johann Wadephul, citing Spain's solidarity with EU partners like Denmark over Greenland. Albares added: “Cuando uno comparte con un país una moneda, una política comercial, un mercado común, espera la misma solidaridad.”[nn]Merz later explained that off-camera, he defended Spain to Trump, reminding him he cannot impose trade reprisals on an EU member, as they negotiate as a bloc: “España es miembro de la Unión Europea y, como tal, solo negociaremos un acuerdo aduanero con los Estados Unidos de forma conjunta o no lo haremos en absoluto.” “No hay forma de tratar especialmente mal a España.”[nn]In Brussels, before the EU summit, Sánchez told Merz: “Ya sé que en privado, cuando no estaban las cámaras, nos defendiste ante Trump. Me han dicho que en la reunión bilateral cerrada defendiste la relación comercial entre la UE y EEUU. Te lo agradezco.” Merz replied: “Yo también te agradezco tu posición y tu tono en este asunto.”[nn]Spanish executive sources confirmed the crisis is closed. Previously, Sánchez and Merz had good rapport despite political differences, sharing interests against the far-right in the EU. They differ on issues like support for Israel, Trump criticism, and official status of Spain's co-official languages in the EU.
