Spain plays down Trump’s trade embargo threat, saying there is ‘no tension’

Spain remained calm in the face of US President Donald Trump’s latest attack on Wednesday – which saw him order a halt to all trade with the country – as Madrid stressed its relationship with Washington remained “positive”.

The US leader has repeatedly voiced frustration at the Spanish government’s stance on defence policy, including its lack of support for the US-Israel war on Iran

and its opposition to Nato’s latest defence spending target

of 5 per cent of gross domestic product.

However, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said during a media briefing later in the day that he had spoken with Trump after the outburst, and that relations with America remained constructive.

“I had the chance to have an informal chat with the president of the United States … there was absolutely no tension of any kind,” he said, adding that the pair had discussed the World Cup.

Madrid had received the US president’s statements with “calm and patience, and a certain sense of normality”, Sanchez said, noting it was not the first time Spain had faced such criticism.

Unlike some of its peers in the European Union, Spain runs a trade deficit with the United States, he pointed out.