A European Leader Who Rejects Trump --- Spain's Sanchez is standard-bearer of political resistance to the U.S. president

 

“MADRID -- The war in Iran hadn't even begun, and Spain's prime minister had resolved to oppose it.

 

In the nerve center of Spain's government, housed in a Madrid compound, aides to Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez were reading intelligence reports last December, which assessed that President Trump was charting a course for war with Iran.

 

As they analyzed the consequences for Europe's energy supplies and economy, they knew their boss would rail against it -- loudly -- whatever Trump's reaction.

 

For the past year, most of Europe has walked on eggshells with Trump.

 

Sanchez has been workshopping an alternative tactic: the "Just Say No" theory of Trump diplomacy.

 

He is betting the Western alliance will be healthier if America's allies candidly air their disagreements with the president, rather than tiptoe around him.

 

As the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran shakes the global economy, Sanchez, a telegenic 54-year-old Socialist, has adopted the simple slogan of "no a la guerra," or "no to war."

 

Unlike others in Europe, he has refused to let the U.S. military use his country's air bases for the war despite Trump's anger.

 

Spain, rarely the center of gravity in European affairs, has become the standard-bearer for Europeans frustrated at the continent's fear of standing up to a U.S. president.

 

Trump's threats on Greenland and the unpopularity of the Iran war with voters have brought more Europeans around to his position.

 

"Good allies are like good friends. We tell each other the truth no matter what," Sanchez said. "In my view, this war in Iran is a big mistake for the world and therefore for the U.S."

 

"In this world where decisions are more and more driven by impulse, from Spain we offer the opposite: We offer predictability," he said.

 

Most European leaders have spent the past year trying to win Trump's ear through deference and flattery -- only to find their concerns brushed aside as the White House makes decisions with heavy global consequences.

 

Their restraint appears to be one of the Iran war's casualties. Some of them are shuffling toward Sanchez's approach, rejecting Trump's pressure for NATO allies to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

 

"Germany is not part of this war, and we don't want to become a part either," German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said recently. "Italy is taking no part and doesn't intend to," said Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Both conservative leaders are seen as among Trump's closer friends in Europe.

 

Making nice with Trump is becoming evermore unpopular on the continent.

 

A survey by Polling Europe released in February found 25% of Europeans now view the U.S. as a friendly power, down from 61% two years ago. In Spain, 77% of voters in a December YouGov survey disapproved of Trump, who threatened to embargo Spain if it didn't raise military spending.

 

"Spain has been terrible," Trump told reporters at the White House in early March. "We're going to cut off all trade with Spain. We don't want anything to do with Spain."

 

The dispute has been good for Sanchez, whose domestic popularity had otherwise slipped after eight years in office.

 

Beyond Trump, he has tangled with Elon Musk, vowing to hold the X owner and other social-media leaders to account "if their algorithms poison our society." He is one of Europe's most outspoken critics of Israel's wars in Gaza and Lebanon.

 

Officials from several other European governments said privately last year that the Spaniard was being unhelpful, especially over his refusal to boost military spending.

 

Spain was the only member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to reject Trump's demand to raise military spending to 5% of gross domestic product.

 

In capitals including Berlin and Paris, officials said Sanchez was jeopardizing Europe's painstaking efforts to avoid a clash with Trump that might provoke him into launching a trade war, abandoning Ukraine or blowing up NATO.

 

Other European leaders excluded him from group chats where they discussed how to handle Trump.

 

Spanish officials have shrugged off Trump's threat to punish the country, confident that he can't impose an embargo on just one member of the European Union, which trades as a bloc.

 

The feeling among the mostly millennial-age staff at La Moncloa is that Trump doesn't hold as many cards as he thinks.

 

The U.S. exports more to Spain than it imports, Sanchez points out.

 

"We have a temporary disagreement, but I think that the relationship between the U.S. and Spain is closer than ever," Sanchez said. "Americans love Spain."

 

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Courting Progressive American Friends

 

Some U.S. Democrats have reached out to applaud Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Spain's government officials have said.

 

When they met in Munich last month, California Gov. Gavin Newsom sought Sanchez's views on curbing the addictive and deleterious effects of social media on children. "My wife told me I should talk to you about this," the California governor said, according to people present. "She thinks this is what our society needs." The two agreed Europe should more aggressively counter Trump.

 

Sanchez is pushing to build a network of left-wing politicians around the world -- mirroring the cross-border club that right-wing nationalists have built, from Hungary to Argentina, with support from the White House.

 

His office has said it is looking to bring Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) to a summit of international progressives in Barcelona next month.” [1]

 

The Lithuanian elite will be the first in the world to sail with leaky wooden shells to wage war in the Strait of Hormuz. The only problem is that the Lithuanian elite does not know what Hormuz is or what sauce it should be eaten with. Therefore, the Baltic Sea is free, Lithuanian shells do not sail. 

 

Political Readiness: Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys stated that Lithuania and other NATO allies should seriously consider a U.S. request to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz if such an appeal is made.

Joint Action: Lithuania is one of 22 nations that signed a joint statement on March 21, 2026, condemning Iran's attacks on commercial shipping and expressing "readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts" to ensure safe passage through the waterway.

Cautious Approach: Despite the readiness to talk, Lithuania—alongside other Baltic states—has insisted on clarity regarding the mission's scope, legal basis, and strategic goals before making any concrete military commitments.

 

Potential Contribution: In previous discussions regarding similar maritime missions, Lithuania has considered sending a small number of staff officers to command posts rather than large naval vessels, which align with its actual maritime capabilities.

 

Domestic Focus: Currently, Lithuania's primary military focus remains on its own borders, where it has recently deployed anti-tank "dragon's teeth" and other deterrence measures against threats from Russia and Belarus. These activities are the same way absurd and pointless as promised adventures in Hormuz.

 

 

1. World News: A European Leader Who Rejects Trump --- Spain's Sanchez is standard-bearer of political resistance to the U.S. president. Hinshaw, Drew; Walker, Marcus; Fairclough, Gordon.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 28 Mar 2026: A9.