At the White House

Trump attacks Spain and Uk. Merz: trade agreements include Madrid

The US president also said he was 'not happy' with the UK's attitude towards the war against Iran

3 March 2026

Il presidente degli Stati Uniti Donald Trump (al centro a destra) e il cancelliere tedesco Friedrich Merz (al centro a sinistra) durante un incontro bilaterale nello Studio Ovale della Casa Bianca a Washington, DC, Stati Uniti, il 3 marzo 2026. EPA/SAMUEL CORUM / POOL

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Spain denied the US the use of the Rota and Morón bases in the offensive against Iran. Speaking in the Oval Office during bilateral talks with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Donald Trump attacked Spain and announced that he had ordered Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to 'cut all agreements' with Madrid. Following these statements, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will make an institutional statement tomorrow at the Moncloa Palace at 9am

"Nato is doing well, as is Germany, on the military spending front," said the tycoon when meeting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office. Spain, on the other hand, "is the only Nato country that has not accepted" the cap on defence spending at 5% of GDP. "They said we cannot use their bases" as part of the operation against Iran, but "nobody can tell us not to use the bases. Spain does not have great leadership>, the US president recoiled.

The US president also said he was 'not happy' with the UK's attitude towards the war against Iran. "It took us three or four days to figure out where we can land," he stressed. "I was surprised," the president said, but "we're not talking about Winston Churchill," he added in reference to PM Keir Starmer.

As for Germany, whose chancellor is a guest at the White House today, Trump said that 'it is helping us', explaining that 'we are not asking it to send soldiers into the field'.

"Oil prices will be high for a while"

Donald Trump also stated that 'oil prices will be a little high for a while' during the war with Iran, but assured that 'as soon as this is over, they will drop to even lower levels than before'.

"War in Ukraine is high on my priorities"

"The war between Russia and Ukraine is high on my list of priorities," Trump said again, reiterating that he thought it would be "easier to resolve" "I believe" a deal "will get done," he added. "I blame one once on the other, but it will get done," he added.

"I will go to Xi soon, very good US-China relations"

Donald Trump has confirmed that he will 'shortly' travel to China, with which the US has a 'very good relationship'. The US president referred to his visit to Chinese leader Xi Jinping scheduled from 31 March to 2 April. However, Beijing has not yet confirmed the dates.

Merz: Spain is part of the EU, any trade agreement must also include Madrid

"Spain is a member of the European Union and we negotiate a tariffs agreement with the United States only together or not at all. There is no possibility of treating Spain worse than the others: we will arrive at a common result, and in that result Spain will be included'. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said this after his meeting with the US president, reporting on the talks in Washington at a press conference. "Criticism about the NATO contribution has nothing to do with our European efforts for a trade agreement," he added, explaining that he made it clear that the negotiations on tariffs are being conducted by the EU in a unified manner.

"There is a much larger deficit in services between Europe and America, and so far it has never occurred to us to impose special tariffs on services from the US to Europe. I have therefore urged strongly that a trade agreement focused on goods traffic be concluded quickly," he concluded, emphasising that "the uncertainties associated with these discussions are weighing on industry on both sides of the Atlantic".

What does Friedrich Merz think of Madrid's behaviour in NATO? "It is very simple. We try to convince Spain about this 3-5% in the Nato context. It's the only country that doesn't accept it,' the German chancellor responded to a journalist's question during his meeting in the Oval Office with Donald Trump. 'It is for common security,' Merz stressed.

'Yes of course, this hurts our economy: both the increase in gas and oil prices. And we hope this war will end as soon as possible,' Merz said again, responding to a question about the rising prices of energy resources.

Sanchez: statement at Moncloa on Wednesday

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will make an institutional statement on Wednesday at the Moncloa Palace at 9am to assess the latest international events. This was announced by the government presidency. The announcement comes after US President Donald Trump attacked Spain for its stance on the war on Iran and threatened to break off trade relations with Madrid. Spain denied the US the use of the Rota and Morón bases in the offensive against Iran.