(Bloomberg) — A U.S. appeal for NATO allies to fill the void left by its imminent withdrawal from Syria was dismissed by Spain’s foreign minister, still bristling at Donald Trump’s unilateral decision to bring his troops home.
Vice President Mike Pence told reporters at the Munich Security Conference that the U.S. is asking NATO members and other partners to provide “the resources and the support and the personnel” required to prevent a resurgence of Islamic State once U.S. operations conclude.
“Requests between countries aren’t made in press releases or conference comments,” Spain’s Josep Borrell said at a briefing in Munich on Saturday. “Spain and the majority of countries aren’t prepared to step in for the U.S. after a withdrawal that was decided in a unilateral way, by surprise.”
Trump has pledged to bring home U.S. troops from Syria with Islamic State nearly defeated, an assertion that received renewed criticism after a suicide attack claimed by Islamic State last month killed ..