OVIEDO, Spain

Spain's foreign minister said Wednesday he expressed “surprise” to his German counterpart after Chancellor Friedrich Merz failed to show solidarity with Spain following trade threats by US President Donald Trump.

On Tuesday, Merz remained silent as Trump threatened an embargo on Spain during a joint news conference at the White House.

The German chancellor also added to criticism of Madrid, noting that Spain is the only NATO ally unwilling to meet a target of defense spending equal to 5% of GDP.

“We are trying to convince them that this is part of our common security that we all have to comply with,” Merz said at the White House, to which Trump replied: “Spain has been very, very uncooperative.”

“Since we have been in government, we have known three chancellors: Merkel, Scholz, and now Merz,” Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told public broadcaster RTVE. “I cannot imagine Merkel or Scholz making statements like that. There was a different European spirit.”

Albares pointed to Spain’s support for Denmark when it faced tariff threats linked to US pressure over Greenland, as well as Madrid’s backing for countries on NATO’s eastern flank.

After the Oval Office meeting, Merz told reporters that he privately stood up for Spain with Trump, according to the New York Times.

On Tuesday, Brussels also expressed support for Spain, saying it expects the United States to respect its trade commitments and vowing to protect the interests of the EU.

On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron also called Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to express “France’s European solidarity in response to the recent threats of economic coercion launched yesterday against Spain,” sources at the Elysee Palace told Spanish news agency Efe.