Speaking in the Turkish capital Ankara, Trump called Madrid a “terrible partner” in Nato as he railed against allies for not supporting the war on Iran and ordered US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to halt all trade with Spain.
His remarks overshadowed a summit that European leaders had hoped would look past a series of rows that have threatened to tear the military alliance apart.
“Spain is a wasted cause. We don’t want to do any trade business with Spain anymore,” Trump said. “By the way, I’d like to cut it off. Spain is a terrible partner in Nato. They don’t participate, they don’t pay. I don’t want anything to do with Spain. Cut off all trade with Spain, including visits.”
Trump spoke alongside Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte, who has assiduously tried to assuage his concerns over defence spending, Iran and Greenland, while lavishing praise on the president for bringing such issues to the fore.
But emerging from a closed-door meeting of Nato leaders, Trump later said: “There was a lot of love in that room, a lot of unity.”
He also spoke more warmly of Volodymyr Zelensky when he met the Ukrainian president, in stark contrast to the tongue-lashing he gave him at a White House meeting last year.
In a potential boost to Ukraine, Trump said he would give Kyiv a licence to make Patriot missiles at a time when Russia has stepped up its air war on cities with deadly strikes, exploiting Ukraine’s shortage of air defences.
A source familiar with the Nato talks said Trump had not repeated his criticisms behind closed doors and instead wanted to keep the US in NATO, saying “we want to remain with you”. French President Emmanuel Macron also said he did not hear any gripes from Trump, while Rutte said the alliance was “more together than ever”.
On paper at least, the summit ended with a message of solidarity, with Nato allies including Trump affirming their “ironclad commitment” to collective defence under the alliance’s Article 5 pact in a summit declaration. Nato members also pledged €70 billion in military assistance to Ukraine for 2026.
Russia denounced Nato’s decisions, saying they could have catastrophic consequences.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Nato’s priorities remained unchanged: “the militarisation of the European continent, the focus on building up defence capabilities, preparation for an armed conflict with Russia, and, of course, aid to Ukraine”.
“It is a pity, because if Nato strategists had stopped and thought for a moment, they might not have made such irresponsible decisions that could lead to a catastrophe not just for the alliance, but for the whole world,” Zakharova said in a statement on her ministry’s website.
Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who won plaudits from Trump throughout the two-day summit, said Ankara was ready to assume greater responsibility for burden-sharing within Nato. He said the summit had laid the foundations for a stronger alliance.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez later said he had a “very cordial” conversation with Trump in which the pair discussed the soccer World Cup, which the US is hosting, and golf, but not military spending.
Sanchez’s health minister, Monica Garcia, was more blunt. “We are a sovereign, democratic country that defends multilateralism and peace,” she said on X. “What’s terrible is confusing diplomacy with bullying.” (Reuters)
