Trump Calls Spain ‘Terrible NATO Partner’, Reignites Greenland Controversy

United States President Donald Trump has renewed his criticism of Spain and revived his long-standing call for the United States to take control of Greenland, using the NATO summit to press his views on defence spending and strategic security.

Speaking alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump criticised Spain's defence commitments and suggested he wanted to cut trade ties with the European ally, describing the country as "a wasted cause" and "a terrible partner in NATO."

The remarks came amid continuing disagreements over Spain's defence spending and military cooperation with Washington.

Trump has repeatedly criticised the Spanish government, led by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, for refusing to raise defence spending to 5 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), a target he has strongly advocated for NATO members.

Spain spent about 2 per cent of its GDP on defence in 2025, meeting NATO's existing benchmark but falling short of Trump's proposed level.

The US president has also expressed frustration over Spain's earlier decision not to allow the United States to use military bases at Moron and Rota for operations linked to the conflict involving Iran.

Responding to Trump's comments, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez downplayed any suggestion of strained relations.

He said he held an informal conversation with the US president during the summit and described the exchange as cordial.

"We talked about the World Cup... there was no tension whatsoever, on the contrary it was all very friendly," Sanchez said.

Spanish government officials also stressed that Madrid intends to maintain what it described as an "excellent social, cultural and economic relationship" with the United States.

According to US congressional figures, trade between both countries reached about 75 billion dollars in 2025, with the United States recording a trade surplus of roughly 3 billion dollars.

The European Commission also backed Spain, describing EU-US trade as deeply integrated and mutually beneficial while reaffirming its commitment to protecting the interests of all EU member states.

Trump also returned to one of his most controversial foreign policy positions by insisting that the United States needs Greenland for national security.

He argued that Greenland is strategically important to the United States and suggested NATO's opposition to the proposal remained a concern.

"It is very important to the United States," Trump said, adding that the issue represented "a big problem for us."

However, leaders in both Greenland and Denmark once again rejected the suggestion.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen reiterated that Greenland is not for sale, while the European Commission maintained that decisions regarding Greenland's future rest solely with the people of Greenland and Denmark.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen later clarified that although Trump discussed Greenland publicly, the issue was not raised during the formal NATO discussions.

Despite the disagreements, NATO leaders concluded the summit by reaffirming their commitment to Article Five, the alliance's collective defence principle under which an attack on one member is considered an attack on all.

Secretary General Mark Rutte described the gathering as highly successful, saying all 32 NATO member states remained committed to the alliance's shared security objectives.

Trump nevertheless argued that the United States had shouldered a disproportionate share of NATO's defence burden, claiming Washington had spent more than one trillion dollars in recent years to help protect allied nations, particularly against threats from Russia.