US Confirmed Neutrality Regarding the Falklands, Spain Stated It Is a "Reliable" NATO Member After Pentagon Memo
Kyiv • UNN
US Declared Neutrality on Falkland Islands Amid Argentina-UK Dispute. Spanish PM Sanchez Emphasized the Reliability of Madrid as a NATO Member Despite Trump Threats.
The US confirmed its neutrality regarding the Falkland Islands after a report about a Pentagon memo, and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Friday emphasized that Spain is a "reliable member" of NATO after reports that the United States is considering attempting to halt its membership due to refusal to support military operations against Iran, writes UNN citing AFP.
Context
Earlier, Reuters cited an anonymous US official who reported that the Pentagon outlined an option to suspend membership in an email discussing ways to punish NATO allies avoiding the US-Israeli war against Iran.
The same email also stated that the United States could review its position on the Falkland Islands in response to the lack of war support from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Sánchez's Reaction
"Spain is a reliable member of NATO," which fulfills all its obligations, Sánchez told journalists in English during a visit to Cyprus to attend an EU summit.
"As a result, I am absolutely not worried," he said.
The socialist leader added in Spanish: "We do not work on the basis of emails; we work on the basis of official documents and the position outlined by the US government in this matter."
There is no provision in the NATO treaty allowing for the suspension or expulsion of a member of the world's most powerful military alliance.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized NATO allies for refusing to join the war engulfing the Middle East, describing it as a betrayal.
Some of them—France, Spain, and Italy—did not allow US military aircraft deployed for the war to fly over their territories or use their bases.
US on the Falkland Islands
A US State Department spokesperson told AFP on Friday that Washington remains neutral on the disputed sovereignty of the Falkland Islands, an archipelago in the South Atlantic that is the subject of disputes between Argentina and the United Kingdom.
"Our position on the islands remains one of neutrality. We recognize that there are competing sovereignty claims between Argentina and the United Kingdom," the spokesperson said, adding that the US recognizes the "de facto administration by the United Kingdom" of the islands without taking sides on the sovereignty claims.
Trump also unsuccessfully tried to force European NATO members to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for exporting Persian Gulf energy resources, which Iran has effectively closed with military threats and attacks.
Washington's expectations that NATO members' facilities and territories should be unconditionally available to the United States have heightened tensions within the alliance.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told journalists on Cyprus that "NATO must remain united. I believe this is a source of strength."
Sánchez stated that his government's position is one of "absolute cooperation with allies, but always within the framework of international law."
Sánchez has repeatedly come under fire from Trump since the Republican president's return to office in January 2025.
Last year, he refused to agree to increase NATO defense spending to 5% of GDP as demanded by Trump, who then proposed expelling Spain from the alliance.
Sánchez condemned the US military intervention in Venezuela on January 3, as a result of which socialist President Nicolás Maduro was captured, and is a staunch critic of Washington's ally Israel.
The next NATO summit will take place in Turkey on July 7-8.