Trump Orders Suspension of U.S. Trade With Spain Amid NATO Dispute

U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered an immediate suspension of U.S. trade with NATO ally Spain, escalating tensions over defense spending and differences over military policy, according to Reuters.

Spain currently runs a trade deficit with the United States. (Photo: Luis García (Zaqarbal), Wikimedia Commons)

The announcement came during a NATO summit in Ankara, where European leaders had hoped to ease divisions within the alliance.

Trump criticized Spain as a "terrible partner" and renewed his comments regarding Greenland, although he later said the summit had been marked by "love" and "a lot of unity."

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez downplayed the disagreement, describing his conversation with Trump as "very cordial."

According to Reuters, Trump instructed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent for a second time to halt commerce with Spain after Madrid declined to commit to NATO's proposed defense spending target of 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP).

Trump has also criticized Spain after Sánchez refused to allow the United States to use Spanish airspace or military bases during the conflict involving Iran.

Sánchez maintained that Spain remains a reliable NATO ally and announced an additional deployment of Spanish troops to Finland as part of NATO's Arctic Sentry mission.

He added that Spain has been among NATO's fastest-growing defense spenders over the past two years and said the country's strong economic growth provides additional fiscal room to meet future defense commitments.

Spain currently runs a trade deficit with the United States.