The United States ambassador to NATO, Matt Whitaker, has stated that US President Donald Trump is "disappointed" with Spain for preventing Washington from using the Morón and Rota bases in the context of the war in Iran and for maintaining its refusal to raise the defense budget to 5% of GDP.
In statements to the media, when asked whether the American president could announce any measure against Spain during the NATO summit that will take place next week in Ankara (Turkey), Whitaker indicated that, although he does not foresee the meeting being dominated by eventual reprisals, Trump is not satisfied with Pedro Sánchez's Executive.
"There is no doubt that the president is disappointed with Spain. Both for the issues of (restriction of) access to the bases and overflight that we saw during 'Epic Fury', and also, you know, for their unwillingness to demonstrate a credible trajectory towards 5%," Whitaker said.
After pointing out that "the Spanish understand" the criticisms coming from the United States, the diplomatic representative stressed that the 32 NATO allies "unanimously" subscribed to the commitment to increase defense spending at last year's Hague summit, so Washington trusts that all member states, including Spain, "will fulfill their promises."
Whitaker added that countries that "do more" in the field of defense "should obtain benefits for doing more" in their bilateral ties with the United States, such as "granting more time with US leaders" or "prioritizing acquisitions and contracting of military material."
Even so, he specified that this "does not give anyone a free pass or an exception" regarding the respect of their commitments, so he insisted that Washington expects "all allies to respond" to the defense agreement reached in The Hague and move towards a "credible trajectory" that leads them to 5% of GDP.