A LEADING Spanish minister and key ally of prime minister Pedro Sanchez has called on the European Union (EU) to build its own army amid lingering doubts over the commitment of the United States to the NATO security alliance.
Foreign minister Jose Manuel Albares said the bloc should look into building its own military because the ongoing war in Iran constituted a defining moment for Europe’s strategic autonomy.
“We cannot be waking up every morning wondering what the US will do next. Our citizens deserve better,” Albares told POLITICO on Monday morning.
“This is the moment of the sovereignty and independence of Europe. The Americans are inviting us to that.
“We have to be free of dependence. Free of dependence means to be free of coercion, whether it comes to tariffs or the use of military threat. And free of the consequences of someone else’s decision.”
Speaking ahead of a meeting of the EU’s Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, Albares suggested that European nations such as Spain and Germany could not be held to ransom by President Trump if they did not rely exclusively on NATO for military support.
“The magic of NATO is that you are in NATO and nothing happens because no one dares to try to check if Article 5 really works or not,” he said, referring to the clause that ensures that an attack on one NATO member is perceived as an attack on all.
“That’s what we have to recreate – the deterrence. That if you want to mess with me, go somewhere else. Because we will stand together.
“We need a military, a common defence capacity. The United States have been making their army stronger and stronger and no one thinks that weakens NATO.
“If NATO is not providing any more the security that was given before…then we have to do more as Europeans.”
Earlier this month, Trump threatened to pull troops out of Spain amid an ongoing row over the war in Iran.
The US president said he would ‘probably’ withdraw American soldiers from two jointly-operated bases in Andalucia, linking the move to the Spanish government’s outspoken criticism of his military campaign in the Middle East.
Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez has been a vocal critic of the war in Iran and has faced a barrage of insults and threats from the White House, including expulsion from NATO.
In early March, the US leader lashed out at Spain over defence spending and threatened to impose a trade embargo over Madrid’s refusal to allow Washington to use the two jointly-operated bases for operations in the Middle East.
Spain decided to exercise a veto over the use of Rota and Moron air bases in Cadiz and Sevilla respectively amid fears that US-Israeli strikes on Iran constituted a breach of international law.
“The position of the government of Spain in the face of this situation is clear and consistent, the same one we have maintained in Ukraine and Gaza,” Sanchez explained in a televised address hitting back at Trump’s threats.
According to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Spain spent 2.1% of its GDP on defence spending in 2025 – the first time the country has broken the long-standing 2% target since 1994.
The spike came after Trump forcefully lobbied NATO allies to up their contribution to the security alliance in an attempt to end Europe’s reliance on American defence spending.
According to data from the defence ministry, some 3,000 members of the Spanish military are deployed under the umbrella of the NATO alliance.
Spain joined NATO in 1982, seven years after the death of fascist dictator Francisco Franco.
Last year, member states struck an agreement to spend 5% of GDP on defence and security by 2035.
At the time, prime minister Pedro Sanchez claimed to have struck a last-minute deal with NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte that excluded Spain from the binding collective goal.
In response, Trump threatened to make Spain ‘pay twice as much’ as part of any future trade deal.
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