U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered an immediate suspension of trade with NATO ally Spain, accusing the European nation of failing to contribute its fair share to the military alliance.

Speaking alongside NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte during the alliance's summit in Ankara, Turkey, on Wednesday, Trump described Spain as a poor partner in NATO and said the United States should end all trade relations with the country.

"Spain is a wasted cause. We don't want to do any trade business with Spain anymore," Trump said.

He added, "Spain is 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, including visits."

Trump also predicted that Spain would eventually reverse its position.

"Watch them come running back. They'll come running back," he said.

The U.S. president further accused Spain of taking advantage of NATO's collective defence arrangements and criticised its treatment of Secretary-General Mark Rutte.

"You automatically carry Spain because you're protecting that region. They probably figured, 'They have to protect us anyway,'" Trump said.

Reacting to the remarks, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's office told Reuters that it viewed Trump's comments as "business as usual" and had no plans to alter what it described as Spain's "excellent" trade relationship with the United States.

Trump has consistently criticised NATO member states over defence spending, urging each country to allocate five percent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to defence.

Although NATO members have agreed to work toward spending 3.5 percent of GDP on defence by 2035, only five of the alliance's 32 member countries are expected to meet that target this year.

The U.S. president has also accused several NATO allies, particularly Spain, of failing to provide sufficient support for Washington's military operations involving Iran.

In an earlier post on Truth Social, Trump questioned Spain's economic performance while criticising its defence contributions.

"Has anybody looked at how badly the country of Spain is doing? Their financial numbers, despite contributing almost nothing to NATO and their military defence, are absolutely horrendous. Sad to watch!!!" he wrote.

Trump Orders Halt to Trade With Spain Over NATO Spending Dispute

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