‘No to war’: Sánchez doubles down after Trump threat to cut off trade with Spain

'Spain has been terrible,' Mr Trump told German chancellor Friedrich Merz during their meeting at the White House

German chancellor Friedrich Merz met US president Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House on Tuesday, March 3. Picture: Mark Schiefelbein/AP

The Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has responded to Donald Trump’s threat to cut off all trade with Spain over his government’s refusal to facilitate the US’s ongoing attacks against Iran, comparing the growing conflict in the Middle East to playing “Russian roulette with the destiny of millions”.

Mr Sánchez, one of the most vociferous European critics of Israel’s conduct in Gaza, said his government’s position on the widening instability could be summed up in three words: “No to war.”