Trump turns on Spain and demands Greenland

ANKARA, July 8:  President Donald Trump threw a summit of NATO leaders into disarray on Wednesday as he demanded the United States cut trade ties with Spain and made renewed claims on Greenland, irking another NATO ally Denmark.

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 Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to halt all trade with Spain.

Trump's remarks, also declaring the fragile 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 that have threatened to tear the military alliance apart.

Trump spoke alongside NATO Secretary 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.

They also undercut the carefully crafted pre-summit messaging that European NATO countries had stepped up to the plate on military spending, which saw at least $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 own defence. 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 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."

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 both countries. �" REUTERS