Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleDonald Trump instructed treasury secretary Scott Bessent to sever all economic ties between the U.S. and Spain, labelling the country a "wasted cause" and "a terrible partner in Nato" during a press conference at the military alliance's summit in Ankara, Turkey. Trump's directive stemmed from Spain's refusal to adopt the new Nato spending goal of 5 per cent of GDP by 2035, with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez securing an exemption to cap his country's contribution at 2.1 per cent. The office of Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez quickly responded to Trump's comments, dismissing them as "business as usual" and affirming Spain's strong social, cultural, and economic ties with the U.S. would remain unchanged. This latest criticism follows a previous instance on June 24, where Trump rebuked European allies, including Spain, for declining to support his war against Iran, calling Spain a "horror show" and "terrible." Separately, Trump declared that the memorandum of understanding signed with Iran to end the conflict was over, stating he no longer wished to engage with Tehran, describing its leadership as "sick people" following new U.S. military strikes. In fullTrump goes off on Spain with call to suspend all US trade at Nato summitMore bulletinsThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in

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U.S. President Donald Trump slammed Spain for not contributing enough to NATO, as he attended the defense alliance summit in Turkey.

Trump orders Treasury to cut off all trade with Spain after base access denial, shaking NATO unity and adding geopolitical risk for crypto and markets.

ANKARA, July 8 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday at a NATO summit he had ordered his Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to cut off all trade with Spain,…

Donald Trump ordered Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to cut off all trade with Spain while speaking at the NATO summit this morning

US President Trump announced a halt to all trade with Spain. He cited Spain as a poor partner within the NATO alliance. The U.S. leader expressed frustration with Spain's…

By Lili Bayer and Andrew GrayANKARA, July 8 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the memorandum of understanding signed with Iran to end the conflict was…

The US president had already threatened in March to take economic reprisals against Spain after Moncloa blocked the use of the Rota and Morón bases for Washington’s bombing…

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday directed an immediate suspension of all trade with NATO ally Spain, escalating strains tied to defense spending...

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened to cut off trade with Spain as NATO leaders met for their summit in Ankara.

Spain has not agreed to Nato’s defence spending target and refused to allow the US use its bases for attacks on Iran

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday at a NATO summit he had ordered his Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to cut off all trade with Spain, calling Madrid a "terrible…

President Donald Trump labels European ally ‘a wasted cause’ and ‘a terrible partner’ at alliance gathering in Turkey

ANKARA/MADRID, July 8 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday ordered an immediate halt to all trade with NATO ally Spain, escalatingtensions over defence spending…

Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or…

US President Donald Trump ordered his Treasury Secretary to cut off all trade with Spain on Wednesday, calling the NATO ally "a wasted cause", "a terrible partner," "hopeless,"…

President Trump, during a press conference in Ankara, Turkey, criticized Spain for insufficient NATO defense spending and called for cutting off all trade with the country.

The US president has again threatened to sever trade ties with his Iberian partners, whose exports to the United States make up under 5% of their trade balance. Can Trump go…

The US president has again threatened to cut off trade ties with his Iberian partners, who send less than 5% of their exports to America. Can Trump go beyond tariffs?

President Donald Trump threatened to cut off trade relations with Spain for not meeting NATO's financial dues.