Trump orders all trade with Spain halted
Photo: US President Donald Trump (Getty Images)
The United States no longer wants to trade with Spain because it is a "terrible partner in NATO," US President Donald Trump says during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte before the start of the NATO summit.
Trump called Spain a "terrible partner in NATO."
"They don't participate. They don't pay. I don't want anything to do with Spain. Cut off all trade with Spain, please," says the US President.
He states that Spain "make so much money with us," but he would "see that they make a lot less."
"We don't have to trade with them. I don't want to do any more trade with them. All right. Take it immediately. Don't even talk to them. They're hopeless bad people," Trump adds.
New NATO data released yesterday shows that Spain is one of several countries that have not met the alliance’s long-standing goal of spending 2% of its GDP on defense.
Spain has also denied the US permission to use jointly managed military bases on its territory to attack Iran.
Spain's response
The office of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez quickly responds to Trump’s comments, stating that they viewed them as "business as usual."
They emphasized that Spain has strong "social, cultural, and economic ties" and has no intention of changing that.
Why did US-Spain relations deteriorate?
Spain had previously refused to support a US operation against Iran, forcing the US to withdraw its aircraft from Spanish bases.
Spanish authorities stressed that unilateral military actions outside the UN Charter only exacerbate the spiral of violence and lack a clear strategic objective.
In addition, last year Spain rejected US demands to increase NATO countries’ defense spending to 5% of GDP. The Spanish Prime Minister stated that the continent’s future should be based not on militarization, but on unity and respect for international law.
Spain’s actions angered US President Donald Trump, prompting him to seek to end cooperation with the country.
