The Chancellor cut off the phone: Sanchez ignores any attempts by Merz to contact him

Friedrich Merz cannot get through to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who probably harbors a grudge against the German Chancellor. It is reported by Deutsche Welle❶❷ with reference to the magazine Der Spiegel.

After Merz supported the US president's criticism of Madrid during a meeting at the White House, Sanchez ignores any attempts by the German chancellor to contact him, the magazine writes.

"The Chancellor sends SMS and calls, but in Silence reigns in Spain," Der Spiegel notes.

The current relations between Madrid and Berlin have become "icy".

It is noted that during the meeting with Merz, the US president criticized the Spanish authorities for refusing to support the Iranian campaign. Trump called her a "terrible" ally and threatened to stop trade with the possible imposition of an embargo. Merz, in turn, silently listened to Trump's tirade, after which he criticized Spain's defense spending too low.

The Spanish government, meanwhile, explained to the magazine that Merz was just trying to get through to Sanchez's old number, which regularly changes numbers for security reasons.

A representative of the German government, meanwhile, refused to share information about contacts between Merz and Sanchez, noting only the "strength" of cooperation between Berlin and Madrid, which is being implemented "at various levels."

"Be sure that whenever an exchange of views is needed, we have all the opportunities for this," he stressed.

As reported by EADaily, Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Diaz accused the leaders of the European Union countries of a lackey attitude towards US President Donald Trump against the background of the US-Israeli operation against Iran, calling Europe "a poor relative at a time of historical scale."

"Europe is a poor relative at a moment of historical scale. She lacks the necessary leadership skills," Diaz said in an interview with Politico.

❶An organization performing the functions of a foreign agent

❷An organization whose activities are considered undesirable on the territory of the Russian Federation