Spain’s premier slams Trump’s ‘unfair tariffs,’ ‘veiled threats’ to EU

By Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) - Spain will respond firmly to any trade tariffs or sovereignty threats, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Thursday, following US President Donald Trump's pledge to slap significant tariffs on the EU.

"We will stand up to those who attack us with unfair tariffs and veiled threats to our sovereignty. We are determined and prepared to do so," Sanchez said at the inauguration of ITP Aero’s new advanced manufacturing center in northern Spain.

"Spain and the EU have been working on this for months. We will take strong countermeasures collectively and support economic sectors that may be affected by a senseless trade war that no one asked for and that benefits no one," Spain’s left-wing premier added.

On Wednesday, Trump told reporters that he is planning to implement tariffs on European goods because the bloc was created to “screw the United States.”

“We'll be announcing it very soon," he said. "It'll be 25% generally speaking and that will be on cars and all other things."

Sanchez said that any claims such as these are “simply not true.”

“In fact, much of the wealth that the United States enjoys today is thanks to Europe,” Sanchez countered.

“Our forefathers built it to distance us from war and the misery caused by fascism. They built it to provide a better future for their children,” he said.

Sanchez added that the EU does not threaten anyone but aims to promote international cooperation, open trade and a multilateral system.

The Spanish premier emphasized that the EU is the world’s largest trade bloc, the second-largest economy and the region with the “highest social and environmental standards.”

He also said that Europe would remain united in the face of potential economic conflict with the US.

"Our unity and solidarity will be our greatest strengths and our most compelling argument in any conflict. If it happens, we will prevail. The EU is far more agile and powerful than some think. We proved it during the pandemic and in response to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s energy blackmail. We will prove it again,” he added.