US President Donald Trump said there was “a lot of unity” at a NATO summit in Ankara on Wednesday, hours after throwing the gathering into turmoil with fresh attacks on Spain, Iran and Denmark over Greenland.
Speaking in the Turkish capital, Trump accused Spain of being a “terrible partner” in NATO and called for Washington to cut trade ties with Madrid, saying the country had failed to meet alliance demands and had not supported the US war effort against Iran.
“Spain is a wasted cause. We don’t want to do any trade business with Spain anymore,” Trump said, adding that he wanted to halt trade and even visits. “Spain is a terrible partner in NATO. They don’t participate, they don’t pay.”
The comments came as NATO leaders had hoped to project unity after months of disputes over defence spending, the war in Iran and Trump’s repeated pressure on allies. They also overshadowed efforts by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to keep the summit focused on increased European defence commitments.
But after a closed-door session with alliance leaders, Trump struck a sharply different tone.
“There was a lot of love in that room, a lot of unity,” he said.
A source familiar with the talks said Trump did not repeat his public criticisms during the private session and instead said the United States wanted to remain in NATO.
French President Emmanuel Macron also said he had not heard Trump air grievances inside the meeting, while Rutte said the summit had shown a strong sense of unity.
The summit declaration reaffirmed NATO allies’ “ironclad commitment” to collective defence under Article 5. European allies and Canada also said they would assume greater responsibility for the alliance’s defence, while NATO members pledged €70 billion, around $80 billion, in military assistance to Ukraine for 2026.
Trump also adopted a warmer tone toward Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy during their meeting, saying the US would help Kyiv produce Patriot missiles.
The shift contrasted with Trump’s earlier remarks, which appeared to undermine the summit’s carefully prepared message that European NATO members were stepping up on defence spending. At least $50 billion in defence initiatives had been announced on Tuesday.
Spain pushed back against Trump’s remarks. The office of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said it viewed the comments as “business as usual” and stressed that US-Spanish relations benefited both countries.
Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia was more direct.
“We are a sovereign, democratic country that defends multilateralism and peace,” she said on X. “What’s terrible is confusing diplomacy with bullying.”
Washington and Madrid have been at odds over Trump’s demands for European countries to sharply increase military spending and pay more for their own defence. Spain’s Socialist government has also refused to allow the US to use Spanish airspace or bases for the war against Iran.
Trump also said an interim accord with Iran was effectively over, after the US launched new strikes and revoked a licence allowing Iran to sell oil in response to attacks on three tankers.
“To me, I think it’s over. I don’t want to deal with them,” Trump said when asked about the accord, which had aimed to produce a longer-term peace deal by mid-August. “They’re scum. They’re sick people. They’re led by sick people.”
He also renewed his demand for US control of Greenland, the semi-autonomous Danish territory, reviving an issue that has strained relations with Denmark and other NATO allies.
“Greenland is very important for the United States, but it’s not important for Denmark,” Trump said, claiming Washington had taken responsibility for the island during World War Two and later “stupidly” gave it back.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen rejected the demand and said Greenland was not for sale.
“We are ready to defend every inch of NATO, including our own territory,” she said.