US President Barack Obama has called for deeper military ties with Spain, amid what he called a “challenging time” for Europe due to growing tensions with Russia and the UK’s exit from the European Union (EU).
The outgoing president, who is spending his last year in the White House, visited Naval Station Rota in southern Spain on Sunday, marking his first ever visit to the country.
“It’s a challenging time for all of our countries,” Obama told a crowd of US and Spanish soldiers at the coastal base, which hosts around 2,500 American military personnel.
“Russia’s aggression against the Ukraine threatens our vision for a Europe that is at peace,” he said.
The West accuses Russia of fueling a years-long conflict in eastern Ukraine, where the Ukrainian army is clamping down on pro-Russian forces. Russia denies the accusation.
“A vote in Britain has raised questions about the kind of Europe we are going to see in the years ahead,” Obama…