BRUSSELS — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen sought to smooth over tensions with Spain after Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez accused many of his fellow EU leaders of exploiting the migration crisis in Ceuta to attack his government.

In a letter sent to Sánchez on Monday, von der Leyen praised Spain’s handling of the influx of migrants from Morocco into its North African exclave. Her response came after Sánchez wrote to her over the weekend, condemning leaders who “have chosen to attack Spain and to call for its temporary exclusion from the Schengen Area.”

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Thursday was the first to propose Spain be suspended from the 29-country Schengen zone in which internal border controls have largely been abolished. Italy and France both imposed restrictions on free movement last week.