US President Donald Trump has threatened to end trade with Spain and renewed his desire for the United States to acquire Greenland as NATO leaders gathered for their summit in Ankara.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday before meeting NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump criticised the alliance over its stance on Greenland and its response to Iran.
“I’m very upset with NATO,” Trump said.
“I’m not happy with NATO because of what they did with Greenland, and I’m not happy with NATO because of the fact that they didn’t want to help us with the number one state sponsor of terror, which is Iran.”
The US president singled out Spain for sharp criticism, describing the country as a “terrible partner in NATO.”
“Spain is a wasted cause. We don’t want to do any trade business with Spain anymore,” he said, directing Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to “cut it off.”
Trump also reiterated his long-standing interest in Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark and a NATO member.
“Greenland is a big problem for us,” he said, adding that the island was “very important for the United States, but it’s not important for Denmark.”
“We need it for the protection of the world, not just the United States. It doesn’t help Denmark, but it helps us,” Trump added.
In response, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the United States and Denmark would continue discussions under an existing agreement aimed at exploring an increased US presence on the Arctic island.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, however, maintained Copenhagen’s position that Greenland “is not for sale.”
The summit comes as Washington’s NATO allies seek to ease tensions with the US following disagreements over the war involving Iran and to demonstrate their commitment to increasing defence spending.
Trump argued that the United States continued to bear a disproportionate share of NATO’s defence burden in protecting Europe from Russia.
“We’ve been treated unfairly,” he said.