U.S. President Donald Trump threw a summit of NATO leaders into disarray on Wednesday as he demanded the US cut trade ties with Spain and made renewed claims on Greenland, irking one other NATO ally Denmark.
Speaking within 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 Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to halt all trade with Spain.
Trump’s remarks, also declaring the delicate ceasefire with Iran to be over,, overshadowed a summit that European leaders had hoped would project unity and support for Ukraine and cap a series of rows which have threatened to tear the military alliance apart.
Trump spoke alongside NATO Secretary Mark Rutte, who has assiduously tried to assuage his concerns over defense spending, Iran and Greenland, while lavishing praise on the president for bringing such issues to the fore.
Additionally they undercut the fastidiously crafted pre-summit messaging that European NATO countries had stepped as much as the plate on military spending, which saw a minimum of US$50 billion in defence initiatives unveiled on Tuesday.
Washington and Madrid have been at loggerheads, with Spain explicitly rejecting Trump’s demands for European countries to sharply increase military spending and pay for their very own defense. Madrid’s Socialist leadership has also refused to let the U.S. use its airspace or bases on its territory for the Iran war.
“Spain is a wasted cause. We don’t wish to do any trade business with Spain anymore,” Trump said. “By the best way, I’d wish 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.”
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In response, the office of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said it was treating Trump’s statements as business as usual, adding that bilateral relations benefited each countries.
Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia was more blunt.
“We’re a sovereign, democratic country that defends multilateralism and peace,” she said on X. “What’s terrible is confusing diplomacy with bullying.”
Asked about Trump’s remarks, a NATO diplomat said: “The reply to each query POTUS raises is obvious: construct a more European NATO. That’s what we’re doing in Ankara.”
U.S. launches fresh strikes
The U.S. has unleashed latest military strikes on Iran and revoked a license allowing Iran to sell oil in response to attacks on three tankers. It was the most recent blow to a fragile ceasefire agreement in a war that’s deeply unpopular in Europe.
“It’s a really interesting query. To me, I feel it’s over. I don’t wish to cope with them,” Trump said when asked whether the interim accord with Iran that envisaged hammering out a long-term peace deal by mid-August was over. “They’re scum. They’re sick people. They’re led by sick people.”
“So far as I’m concerned, it’s only a waste of time coping with them,” he said.
Rutte defended the brand new U.S. strikes and played down Trump’s disappointment with allies over the Iran war as “isolated cases.”
“I feel what you probably did last night was absolutely crucial. It was a really strong response,” Rutte told Trump. “When you have got a ceasefire and Iran is essentially violating the ceasefire, I feel it is completely crucial that the U.S. forcefully react.”
He also praised Trump for making European countries raise their game on defense spending.
“It’s really necessary relating to NATO, what you have got achieved, and this can be a huge win,” he said.
Trump has accused European nations of failing to let U.S. forces use their airspace and bases on their territories throughout the war.
European officials have said they largely honored their commitments to U.S. forces, despite not having been consulted a few conflict that roiled their economies.
Trump also demanded that his country control Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, reviving a problem that has put severe strain on the alliance that has underpinned Western security for the reason that start of the Cold War.
“Greenland could be very necessary for the US, nevertheless it’s not necessary for Denmark,” he said. “In reality, when Denmark was overrun by the Nazis in lower than in the future – Hitler beat them out in in the future, took over – they asked us to maintain Greenland. In reality, we took Greenland, after which stupidly we gave it back.”
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen reiterated that Greenland was not up for grabs.
“We’re able to defend every inch of NATO, including our own territory,” she said.