218. The world needs many Pedro Sanchez 

Although the world is weary of US President Donald Trump's combative negotiating style—characterized by bullying and humiliation —it is Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez alone who has confronted him directly.

He has openly challenged him, offering a master class that other world leaders, especially European ones, should emulate. 

This is the first time someone has told him to stop acting like the world's policeman. 

This wasn’t the first time Sánchez openly shared his views. He has previously been the only European critic of Israel’s actions in Gaza and accused the country of “exterminating a defenseless people by bombing hospitals and killing innocent boys and girls with hunger.” 

He also criticized the US’s armed overthrow of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela.

Hours after Donald Trump threatened to cut trade with Spain over his refusal to allow the use of two jointly operated bases for striking Iran, Pedro Sánchez delivered a 10-minute televised speech. 

He firmly rejected Trump's demands, stating that another war in the Middle East would cause many deaths, further destabilize the region, and result in serious economic consequences.

Without naming Trump, he personally attacked him, saying, “A government’s overriding duty is to protect and improve the lives of its citizens, not to manipulate or profit from global conflicts. It is absolutely unacceptable that those leaders who are incapable of fulfilling this duty use the smokescreen of war to hide their failure and, in the process, line the pockets of a select few – the same ones as always; the only ones who profit when the world stops building hospitals and starts building missiles.” 

He didn’t stop there. He continued by saying, “It is naïve to believe that democracies or mutual respect between nations can arise from destruction. Or to think that blind and slavish obedience is a form of leadership … We will not be complicit in something that harms the world and goes against our values and interests, just out of fear of reprisals from someone.”

After this, nothing was left unsaid. Sánchez was likely recalling the times when many of his fellow citizens were upset about the country’s backing of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The two military bases are located in Andalusia, southern Spain, and have been used by the U.S. since 1953. These bases are considered a key stopover for U.S. operations in the Middle East.

Spain has its own Congress Party, and Rahul Gandhi, who was quick to criticize his statement.

Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the leader of the conservative People’s Party, accused him of playing partisan politics and risking Spain’s relationship with the U.S. 

Spain is the leading exporter of olive oil globally and also supplies the United States with auto parts, steel, and chemicals. In 2025, the U.S. maintained a trade surplus with Spain for the fourth consecutive year, totaling $4.8 billion. U.S. exports to Spain reached $26.1 billion, while imports were $21.3 billion. Additionally, shipments of crude oil and liquefied natural gas from the U.S. to Spain have increased in recent years.

However, like a true leader, Sanchez hit back immediately, saying that the country had the necessary resources to contain the potential impact of a trade embargo and support affected sectors.

Only French President Emmanuel Macron expressed solidarity in response to the US’s trade threats. Macron explicitly stated that the US and Israeli actions against Iran did not conform to international law. However, France has moved its aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, to the eastern Mediterranean, for what Macron called a strictly defensive presence in support of its regional allies, including Cyprus, as well as Qatar, Kuwait, and the UAE, where France maintains a sizable military base.

Germany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said that “this is not the time to lecture our partners and allies. Despite our reservations, we share many of their goals without being able to actually 

Following Trump's mockery as “no Winston Churchill,” UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer needed to reaffirm that the special relationship between the US and UK remains intact.

Nothing will come from Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, who has always tried to keep one foot in Trump’s camp and the other in Europe. But Italy’s defense minister, Guido Crosetto, said that “it is a war that was started without anyone in the world knowing. One in which we, like the rest of the world, find ourselves having to manage the consequences.”

Spain remains firm in its stance. When White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Madrid had changed its position and was now willing to cooperate with the offensive, Spain’s foreign minister dismissed this assertion. “I am Spain's foreign minister, and I am telling her that our position has not changed at all,” he declared.

I don't understand why, like Denmark’s prime minister, he hasn't earned that kind of support.

However, his lone voice echoes 'Ekla Chalo Re.'

Today, Sanchez has become a hero in this dark, grimy world where most leaders have turned spineless in the face of a bully.