by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
ANKARA/MADRID (Worthy News) – U.S. President Donald J. Trump ordered an “immediate” halt to trade with Spain on Wednesday, sharply escalating tensions with the NATO military alliance ally over defense spending and its refusal to support U.S. military operations against Iran.
Speaking during the NATO summit in Ankara, Trump called Spain a “terrible partner” after Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez refused to commit to the alliance’s new target of spending 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) on defense.
“I don’t want to do any trade with them, alright?” Trump said, directing Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to halt commerce with Spain.
It marked the second time Trump has issued such an instruction, though trade between the two countries continued after a similar threat in March.
SPAIN PUSHES BACK
Spain dismissed Trump’s latest remarks, saying it regarded them as “business as usual” and had no plans to alter what it described as its “excellent” relationship with Washington.
The Spanish government also stressed that, as a member of the European Union’s customs union, trade policy is negotiated collectively by the 27-member bloc rather than by individual member states.
Yet the dispute overshadowed the NATO summit, where Secretary General Mark Rutte sought to ease tensions by noting that Spain had increased defense spending to 2 percent of GDP last year while acknowledging that “there are still issues we have to solve.”
The latest clash came as Trump also renewed his push for U.S. control of Greenland, prompting Denmark to reaffirm it would “defend every inch” of its Arctic territory.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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U.S. President Donald J. Trump ordered an “immediate” halt to trade with Spain on Wednesday, sharply escalating tensions with the NATO military alliance ally over defense spending and its refusal to support U.S. military operations against Iran.