Trump threatens to cut trade with Spain over NATO spending
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Washington: US President Donald Trump has threatened to cut off trade with Spain, accusing the NATO ally of failing to contribute enough to the military alliance and warning that Madrid could face economic consequences unless it increases its defence commitments.
Speaking alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte ahead of a meeting with alliance leaders in Ankara on Wednesday, Trump renewed his longstanding criticism that several NATO members rely too heavily on US military spending, singling out Spain for particular criticism.
Calling Spain "a wasted cause," Trump said he no longer wanted the United States to conduct trade with the country because of what he described as its inadequate contribution to NATO.
He also instructed aides to halt trade with Spain, saying the country was "a terrible partner in NATO" that did not participate sufficiently or pay its fair share. Trump said he wanted all trade with Spain, including visits, to be cut off.
The US president argued that Washington had spent enormous sums protecting European allies while receiving little support in return.
"We spent over a trillion dollars over the last short period... in order to protect these countries from Russia," Trump said, adding that the United States had been treated unfairly.
He maintained that the US had at one stage borne virtually the entire financial burden of NATO while many allies contributed little or nothing.
Trump also claimed that several major European allies were unwilling to support the United States during recent military operations against Iran.
He said he had spoken with leaders in the United Kingdom, Germany and France, but none had been willing to assist, while adding that some smaller NATO members had expressed support because they were more vulnerable.
Trump accused Spain of being particularly resistant within the alliance and warned that Madrid's trade relationship with the United States could suffer.
He said Spain had benefited significantly from trade with the US but suggested those gains would decline if the country continued its current approach to NATO.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, however, sought to ease tensions by pointing out that Spain had significantly increased its defence spending in recent years.
Rutte said Spain had reached NATO's benchmark of spending 2 per cent of its gross domestic product on defence after making substantial progress over the past year. While acknowledging that further work remained, he stressed that Spain had made important advances.
The NATO chief also credited Trump with encouraging member states to increase military investment.
According to Rutte, Canada and European NATO members have increased defence spending by an additional $215 billion compared with 2024. He added that allied investment in the US defence industry now supports nearly 200,000 American jobs.
Rutte said total defence commitments by NATO allies now exceed $1.2 trillion, telling Trump that the increased spending was largely the result of his pressure on alliance members.
Trump responded by arguing that previous US presidents had failed to persuade allies to contribute more towards NATO's collective defence, naming Barack Obama, Joe Biden and George W. Bush.
Spain has long been among NATO members spending below the alliance's defence spending target as a share of gross domestic product. However, Madrid has pledged to increase military investment in response to growing security concerns across Europe.
NATO has intensified calls for higher defence spending among its members following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the increasingly complex global security environment.
With IANS inputs