US President Donald Trump dramatically softened his stance towards Spain within hours of threatening to sever trade ties at the NATO summit in Ankara, as alliance leaders concluded the meeting by reaffirming their commitment to collective defence, agreeing new support for Ukraine and endorsing a stronger European role within NATO.
Trump had sparked controversy earlier on Wednesday by singling out Spain over defence spending, branding the country ‘a wasted cause’ and declaring: ‘We don’t want to do any trade business with Spain anymore.’ He also described Spain as a ‘terrible partner in NATO’ and instructed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to ‘cut off’ trade with the country. ALSO READ: Trump says he has ordered a cutoff of US trade with ‘terrible ally’ Spain over NATO dispute.
Yet, while travelling back to Washington aboard Air Force One, the US president struck a markedly different tone.
‘I must admit I had problems with Spain, and I still do, but Spain came back all the way today. Spain was very generous today,’ Trump told reporters.
Suggesting Madrid had made an additional financial commitment, he added: ‘They honoured a request for lots of payment, and if they hadn’t, we wouldn’t even have spoken to them.’
However, according to Spanish newspaper El País, Trump did not explain what specific ‘payment’ he was referring to.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, speaking from Turkey after the summit, dismissed suggestions of any confrontation between the two leaders and described their interaction as cordial.
‘After Trump’s press conference, we spoke about football and the World Cup. It was a casual chat; there was no tension whatsoever – it was all very friendly,’ Sánchez said.
The diplomatic U-turn came as NATO leaders sought to project unity after a summit that had appeared at times in danger of being overshadowed by renewed tensions between Trump and several allies.
Despite Trump’s earlier criticism, NATO members unanimously reaffirmed their commitment to Article 5, the alliance’s cornerstone principle that an attack against one member is considered an attack against all. Their summit declaration described that commitment as ‘ironclad’.
At the close of the meeting, Trump himself emphasised the positive atmosphere.
‘There was a lot of love in that room. A lot of unity,’ he told reporters. ‘We’ve had a tremendous time and I think a great success.’
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte likewise presented the gathering as a success, saying allies had ‘warmly welcomed President Trump’s leadership’.
‘The message from this summit is simple. NATO delivers,’ Rutte said.
Alongside reaffirming collective defence, leaders also endorsed a package of military support for Ukraine worth €70 billion, made up of European Union loans and contributions from NATO allies. Trump also announced that the United States would license production of its Patriot air defence systems in Ukraine, potentially allowing the country to manufacture the missile defence technology domestically.
The US president also adopted a noticeably warmer tone towards Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, praising him for his efforts during the war and saying the pair had developed ‘a good relationship’.
The summit also highlighted NATO’s broader push to strengthen European defence capabilities. Rutte said European allies and Canada were set to spend almost $300 billion more on defence across this year and last, describing the gathering as the beginning of ‘a stronger Europe in a stronger NATO’.
Meanwhile, Trump indicated the United States was prepared to lift sanctions on Turkey, potentially reopening the path for Ankara to purchase F-35 fighter jets after its removal from the programme in 2019.
Although much of the summit focused on the alliance’s future, Trump’s shifting position on Spain remained one of its most closely watched political storylines. ALSO READ: Spain blocks its airspace to US military flights linked to the war in Iran.
His criticism of Sánchez’s government is not new. The Spanish prime minister has increasingly positioned himself as one of Europe’s most outspoken progressive leaders in opposition to Trump’s foreign policy, particularly over Palestine, Iran and NATO defence spending. ALSO READ: Pedro Sánchez responds to Donald Trump: ‘No to war’.
Earlier this year, Trump threatened to halt trade with Spain after Madrid refused permission for US aircraft to use Spanish bases during strikes against Iran. ALSO READ: Trump vows to ‘cut off all trade’ with Spain over Iran stance: ‘We don’t want anything to do with Spain’.
In May he described Spain as ‘a horror show’ and ‘terrible’, and more recently suggested the country should face tariffs or even be excluded from NATO for failing to meet the alliance’s target of spending five percent of GDP on defence. ALSO READ: Trump brands Spain ‘terrible’ and ‘a horror show’ as he again criticises NATO allies.
Spanish government sources quoted by El País, however, pointed out that the United States currently enjoys a trade surplus with Spain.
‘The bilateral relationship between the US and Spain is beneficial to both countries, both in the areas of trade and defence,’ the sources said.
Questions also remain over how far Trump could act on his earlier threats. The US Supreme Court has previously limited his ability to impose tariffs through emergency powers, while trade policy towards individual EU member states falls within the European Union’s common commercial framework rather than bilateral agreements with Washington.
For now, however, Trump’s conciliatory remarks appeared to signal that his latest threats of tariffs or a trade embargo against Spain had once again been set aside, as NATO leaders sought to leave Ankara projecting solidarity despite another turbulent encounter with the US president. ALSO READ: Europe must take defence into its own hands amid US NATO threats, says Spain’s foreign minister.
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Trump asegura que España “se ha redimido” tras aceptar una “importante solicitud de pago” a la OTAN https://t.co/6uyuIAHkPx
— RTVE Noticias (@rtvenoticias) July 9, 2026
A pesar de la distancia geográfica, España está siempre con sus aliados.
— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) July 8, 2026
Somos un país pacífico y pacifista. Y un aliado fiable.
El objetivo último de todas nuestras acciones debe ser acabar con todas las guerras. pic.twitter.com/NBTkIuoEOq
Ankara Summit Declaration issued by the Heads of State and Government participating in the meeting of the North Atlantic Council in Ankara, Türkiye
— NATO (@NATO) July 8, 2026
Read the full statement → https://t.co/mQOBHNYCXy#NATOsummit pic.twitter.com/RIoidXu2rQ
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