A "strategic message" in the Trump-Sánchez-Merz triangle
Key Takeaways
- The White House staged a new 'oval surprise' episode this Thursday.
- Spain criticized Friedrich Merz for not backing Spain during the White House attack.
- Sánchez confronted Merz in Brussels during a European Council meeting with 25 EU leaders.
Spain-Germany-US triangle
Fifteen days after Spain's government expressed surprise that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz did not defend Spain when the U.S. president attacked our country alongside him in the White House, Pedro Sánchez confronted Merz in Brussels.
“The White House's 'oval surprise' sequence added a new episode this Thursday”
In the middle of the European Council, the two leaders faced each other in a face-to-face exchange before 25 EU leaders, projecting a display of unity even as deeper geopolitics underlie this Trump-Sánchez-Merz triangle.
Europe's strategic message to Trump
Analysts describe Berlin's aim as sending a 'strategic message' to President Trump at the NATO summit in Ankara on July 7-8.
The plan is to show Europe’s commitment to transatlantic defense, accelerate European capabilities, and keep Trump engaged in European security.
To avoid provoking Trump, Friedrich Merz is keeping a low public defense of a European partner in Washington, while commentators note that Volodymyr Zelenski is seen as the first guinea pig of Oval Office ambushes.
Pragmatic path on U.S.-EU ties
From Brussels, the goal is not to force harmony between Pedro Sánchez and Donald Trump or to demand an immediate 5% of GDP in defense spending from Madrid, but to signal that the path toward better U.S.-EU understanding should not be blocked.
“The White House's 'oval surprise' sequence added a new episode this Thursday”
If this approach holds, meetings like last Thursday in Brussels help steer relations toward a practical path, at least until July 9, when leaders fear new friction could surface.
NATO summit stakes
The strategy centers on keeping the Americans engaged in European security, a concept dubbed 'the hour of Europe' by some, and has drawn more leaders into this language.
With the NATO summit in Ankara in view, officials expect this approach to guide decisions through July 9, when Europe hopes to breathe easier or face fresh trouble.
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