Following Donald Trump's sharp criticism and directive to halt trade, Spain played down the remarks, stating it enjoys 'excellent' ties with the US. Trump had called Spain a 'wasted cause' over its low NATO defence spending.
Spain Stresses 'Excellent' Relations
Responding to the remarks, the Spanish Prime Minister's Office said that it had no intention of allowing the comments to affect the longstanding relationship between the two countries. "Our country enjoys excellent social, cultural, and economic relations with the US, and it is not our intention for that to change," the Prime Minister's Office said in an official statement, as quoted by Al Jazeera.
Trump's 'Wasted Cause' Accusation
The response came after Trump described Spain as a "wasted cause" and said the United States would no longer do trade business with the country, accusing Madrid of failing to contribute adequately to NATO's defence spending. Speaking to reporters during his meeting with NATO General Secretary Mark Rutte on the sidelines of the 2026 NATO Summit in Ankara, Trump criticised Spain's role in the alliance, calling it a "terrible partner" and stating that he doesn't want to do anything with Spain.
"Spain is a wasted cause. We don't want to do any trade business with Spain anymore, by the way," Trump said. "Spain is a terrible partner in NATO. They don't participate, they don't pay. I don't want anything to do with Spain," he added.
Dispute Over NATO Defence Spending
Spain remains the only NATO member to refuse to commit to the alliance's new defence spending target, which was announced last year at the 2025 Summit in The Hague, where the allies committed to a spending target of 5 per cent of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2035. Madrid secured an exemption allowing it to cap military spending at 2.1 per cent of its GDP instead of adopting the 5 per cent target. Spain is also among the alliance's lowest defence spenders as a share of GDP.
The comments mark the latest in Trump's repeated criticism of European allies over what he describes as insufficient contributions to collective defence. Throughout his presidency, Trump has urged NATO members to increase military spending and has frequently accused several allies of relying disproportionately on the United States for security.
Wider Context of US-Spain Tensions
Trump has also repeatedly targeted Spain in recent months, particularly over differences in foreign policy. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was also among the few European leaders to publicly criticise the US military action against Iran, and his government's earlier decision to bar the use of US military facilities in southern Spain in support of the Iran strikes further strained ties with Washington.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)