ANKARA, Turkey — United States President Donald Trump has ordered an immediate and total suspension of all trade and official visits with Spain, delivering a severe blow to relations with the longtime NATO ally over its failure to meet defense spending targets.
The American president announced the sweeping economic and diplomatic directive on Wednesday while sitting alongside NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte during the alliance's summit in Ankara, Turkey. Trump publicly rebuked the southern European nation, labeling its current defense contributions completely unacceptable.
"Spain is a wasted cause. We don’t want to do any trade business with Spain anymore by the way," Trump told reporters at the summit. "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, please, including visits."
The president suggested that the severe economic embargo would quickly force Madrid to reconsider its fiscal priorities, adding that they will come running back. Trump also accused the Spanish government of treating the NATO chief terribly, arguing that the alliance should not continue to carry or protect members that do not financially contribute to the collective defense structure.
In response to the sudden announcement, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s office issued a statement downplaying the severity of the American declaration. According to Reuters, Madrid indicated it was treating Trump’s comments as business as usual and stated it had no intention of altering what it described as Spain’s excellent bilateral trade relations with the United States.
The trade freeze marks the latest escalation in Trump's aggressive campaign to pressure NATO members into drastically increasing their military budgets. The president has repeatedly demanded that every member state allocate 5 percent of its total gross domestic product (GDP) to defense spending. This target significantly outpaces the alliance's current consensus, which aims for a 3.5 percent benchmark by 2035. Only five out of NATO’s 32 member countries are projected to hit that specific target this year.
In addition to the baseline budget disputes, Trump has routinely criticized European allies, specifically highlighting Spain, for failing to provide adequate support for the ongoing United States military campaign in Iran.
The policy shift follows months of escalating rhetoric from the White House regarding Spain's economic and military status. In a public statement on his Truth Social platform in April, Trump criticized the country's broader economic performance, writing that Spain's financial numbers are horrendous despite contributing almost nothing to NATO and its own military defense.
