POTUS plans troop cuts in Spain, Italy

People in masks depict Italy’s PM Giorgia Meloni and US President Donald Trump at a Labour Day rally in Turin.

Washington: US President Donald Trump has threaten­ed to withdraw military personnel from Italy and Spain, a day after suggesting a reduction of forces in Germany. Trump accused the Mediterr­anean allies of failing to assist in the US-led conflict with Iran and refusing to deploy navies to the Strait of Hormuz. About the potential pullout, Trump said Italy has not been of help and described Spain’s cooperation as “absolutely horrible”.

The threat follows a series of diplomatic ruptures. Italy’s Defence Minister Guido Crosetto defended Rome’s record, saying the American military had previously app­reciated Italy’s maritime secu­rity efforts. However, tensions flared in late March when Italy refused to allow US pla­n­es carrying weapons to transit the Sigonella airbase in Sicily. PM Giorgia Meloni strained ties by criticising Trump’s comments about the Pope’s condemnation of the war. Trump responded by accusing Meloni of lacking courage.

In Spain, the US military maintains a significant presence at the Rota and Morón bases, vital for Mediterranean operations. PM Pedro Sánchez has remained the EU’s most outspoken critic of the “illegal war”, refusing to allow Spanish territory to be used for strikes on Iran. Sánchez rejected Nato’s proposal to raise defence spending to 5% of GDP, calling it “unreasonable”. Despite Tru­mp’s threats of a trade emba­rgo and Nato suspension, Sánchez insisted Spain will operate only within the fra­mework of international law.

While such a move would compromise European security, it remains legally complex. US law passed in 2024 preve­n­ts any president from withdrawing from the alliance wi­thout a two-thirds Senate ma­jority or an act of Congress. Currently, about 13,000 US personnel are stationed in Italy and over 3,800 in Spain.