The diplomatic reversal followed hours of threats and criticism.
ANKARA, TURKEY — July 2026. U.S. President Donald Trump has softened his position toward Spain after declaring that the country had “completely redeemed itself” during the NATO summit. Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump said Madrid had accepted an important payment request connected to the alliance, although he did not specify its nature. His remarks came only hours after he threatened to suspend trade with Spain.
Trump had accused Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s government of being an unreliable NATO partner because of disagreements over military spending and Spain’s position on the conflict with Iran. Washington has pressed alliance members to raise defense expenditure toward 5 percent of gross domestic product by 2035. Spain maintains that such a target would be excessive and could undermine essential public services.
Sánchez defended Madrid’s contribution, stating that Spain has doubled its defense spending to nearly €33 billion and is fulfilling the military capabilities requested by NATO. His government argues that troop deployments, naval missions and strategic contributions must be considered alongside spending percentages. Spain currently plans to keep defense expenditure near 2.1 percent of GDP.
Despite Trump’s change in tone, uncertainty remains over whether Washington will pursue any commercial measures against Spanish products. Trade policy involving Spain falls under the European Union’s common commercial framework, making a unilateral bilateral cutoff legally and politically complex. Spanish officials have sought to minimize the confrontation while emphasizing the strength of relations with the United States.
The rhetoric eased, but the dispute over defense spending remains unresolved.