US ambassador to Spain complains PM Pedro Sánchez has not received him once yet
Benjamín León Jr underscored the ‘frustration’ felt by Trump at the fact that the Spanish government is not spending 5% of GDP on defense as agreed by NATO
“If the prime minister of Spain hasn’t received me, I don’t think he’s inviting President Trump.” With those words, U.S. Ambassador to Spain Benjamín León Jr. complained that he still has not met with Pedro Sánchez once, more than three months after taking up his post. Speaking at an event organized by the debate organization Nueva Economía Fórum in Madrid, León said that the Spanish government has not made any moves to invite the U.S. president.
León Jr. also used his first public appearance since arriving in Madrid on February 16 to convey that Trump “is quite frustrated” because in 2025, at The Hague, NATO countries pledged to raise defense spending from 2% to 5% of GDP, and Spain is “the only government that has said it will not fulfill what it said it would.”
The ambassador would not speculate about a possible withdrawal of U.S. troops from Spain, saying that “the only person who has the power [to make that decision], as commander-in-chief of the U.S. military, is President Trump.”
He did make clear that the source of the deterioration in bilateral ties is Pedro Sánchez’s refusal to increase military spending to 5% of GDP, without addressing Spain’s refusal to allow use of its bases and airspace for U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran, and he stressed that the differences are confined to the governments. “This is nothing against the Spanish people, it’s against the government,” he said of Trump’s remarks criticizing Spain’s position.
He also stressed that Spain is “an indispensable NATO ally” and that the Rota and Morón bases, where nearly 7,000 U.S. service members and their families are stationed, are “fundamental to our collective defense.”
While he has yet to meet with Sánchez, the ambassador has instead met with Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the mainstream conservative Popular Party (PP), and with Santiago Abascal, head of the far-right Vox, as well as with the leader of the Madrid regional government, Isabel Díaz Ayuso of the PP. León Jr also presented his credentials to King Felipe VI.
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