NATO addresses Trump's threat to expel Spain
Photo: US President Donald Trump (flickr.com)
NATO has responded to US President Donald Trump’s threats to expel Spain from the Alliance, BBC reports, citing a statement from a NATO spokesperson.
The organization’s founding treaty "does not foresee any provision for suspension of Nato membership, or expulsion," the Alliance says.
Background
NATO has responded to rumors about a possible suspension of Spain’s membership in the Alliance. A spokesperson for the organization explicitly stated that the charter does not provide for such a mechanism.
The scandal was triggered by Spain’s refusal to support a US military operation against Iran. It was after this, according to media reports, that Washington began looking for ways to pressure so-called disobedient allies.
What Washington considers
Among the options for punishment that appeared in internal Pentagon correspondence were two specific steps:
- Suspending Spain’s NATO membership
- Revising the US position on the Falkland Islands in favor of Argentina would be a blow to the United Kingdom.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez reacts cautiously.
He says the Spanish government works only with official documents, not with rumors.
The administration of US President Donald Trump has developed a sort of ranking of NATO allies, dividing them into obedient and disobedient.
According to Reuters, the Pentagon has prepared several scenarios for sanctions against those member countries that refused to support a military operation against Iran. The document reflected the US side's disappointment with the stance of some allies.
