【Wen/Observer Net Chen Sijia】Last week, US President Trump strongly criticized Spain for not cooperating enough in the issue of Iran during a meeting with German Chancellor Merkel, and threatened to cut off trade relations between the US and Spain. At that time, sitting nearby, Merkel remained silent, did not speak up for Spain, but instead joined Trump in criticizing Spain for not increasing military spending, which angered the Spanish government.

According to the UK's The Times on March 10, facing Trump's threats, Spain refused to "bend", insisting on opposing the US-Israel military action against Iran. Spanish officials also criticized Merkel for "betraying the values of Germany's ruling party" and accused her of acting like a "vassal of the US".

On March 3, Spanish Prime Minister Sanchez decided to prevent the US from using the Rota Naval Base and Morón Air Base located in Spain to carry out any military actions against Iran. This move caused dissatisfaction within the US, and on March 3, when Trump met with Merkel at the White House, he complained that Spanish leaders had not invested enough in military spending and had not allowed the US to use its bases to strike Iran.

Trump threatened to cut off all trade relations between the US and Spain because Spain is "a bad ally".

Video screenshot of US President Trump meeting with German Chancellor Merkel in the Oval Office on March 3 local time.

At that time, Merkel did not oppose Trump's speech or defend Spain. Instead, she stood by the US side and urged Spain to increase military spending. She claimed: "Spain is the only country that is unwilling to accept this (increasing military spending to 5% of GDP), and we are trying to persuade them. This is part of our common security, and we must all comply."

Although Merkel later explained that she had privately warned Trump not to cut trade relations, it did not ease Spain's anger. Spanish Foreign Minister Alvarez criticized Merkel's performance as far worse than that of previous German chancellors and violated the ideas of Konrad Adenauer, the first chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany and founder of the Christian Democratic Union.

Alvarez said, "I can't imagine (former German Chancellor) Merkel or Scholz would act like this. It doesn't align with Konrad Adenauer's position, nor does it align with the European values the party was founded on. Now their leadership shows completely different values."

Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Díaz of Spain believes that Merkel belongs to one of the EU leaders who "don't know how to deal with the historical moment we are in." In an interview with Politico Europe, she said: "Europe needs leadership right now, not sycophants who flatter Trump."

The Times mentioned that Merkel tried to call Sanchez on the evening of the 9th to mend relations between Germany and Spain, but it is unclear whether the call was connected. Politico Europe reported that Merkel's spokesperson Stefan Cornelius revealed that the two leaders have not spoken since Merkel's visit to Washington, and Merkel has tried twice to call Sanchez but failed to get through.

Sanchez's spokesperson responded that the reason why Merkel couldn't get through was because she called an outdated number. Due to security reasons, Sanchez regularly changes numbers. The spokesperson stated that although the misunderstanding has been clarified and Merkel has obtained the updated contact information, the two have not yet spoken.

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Original: toutiao.com/article/7615902893975126569/

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