President Donald Trump threw a summit of NATO leaders into disarray on Wednesday, demanding the United States cut all trade ties with Spain and reviving his claim on Greenland, further straining relations with two NATO allies and overshadowing carefully prepared messaging around defence spending and alliance unity.

Speaking in the Turkish capital Ankara alongside Trump NATO Summit, Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump called Spain a "terrible partner" in the alliance, railed against allies for failing to back the war on Iran, and declared the fragile ceasefire with Tehran effectively over. The remarks landed like a grenade at a summit European leaders had hoped would project solidarity and cap a series of damaging rows threatening to pull the military alliance apart.

Trump Orders Halt to All Trade With Spain

Washington and Madrid have been at loggerheads for some time, with Spain explicitly rejecting Trump's demands for European countries to sharply increase their military spending and fund their own defence. Spain's Socialist government has also refused to allow the United States to use its airspace or military bases for operations in the Iran war.

Trump left little doubt about his frustration.

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

He directed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to halt all trade with the country, a sweeping instruction that immediately drew a response from Madrid.

The office of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said it was treating Trump's statements as business as usual, noting that bilateral relations benefited both countries. Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia was considerably more direct in her response.

"We are a sovereign, democratic country that defends multilateralism and peace. What's terrible is confusing diplomacy with bullying."

A NATO diplomat, asked about Trump's broader remarks at the summit, offered a pointed summary of the European position. "The answer to every question POTUS raises is clear: build a more European NATO. That's what we're doing in Ankara."

Iran Ceasefire Declared Over as Trump Calls Leaders "Sick People"

Trump's comments on Spain were not the only disruption at the summit. He also declared the fragile ceasefire agreement with Iran to be over, signalling a sharp escalation in rhetoric at a moment when the United States had already launched new military strikes on the country and revoked a licence allowing Iran to sell oil, in response to attacks on three tankers.

When asked whether the interim accord with Iran, which had envisaged a long-term peace deal being reached by mid-August, was still alive, Trump was unambiguous.

"To me, I think it's over. I don't want to deal with them. They're scum. They're sick people. They're led by sick people. As far as I'm concerned, it's just a waste of time dealing with them."

The war with Iran is deeply unpopular across Europe, and European officials have said they were not consulted before the conflict began, despite being expected to honour commitments to US forces. Trump has accused European nations of failing to allow American forces to use their airspace and bases, a charge European officials have broadly disputed.

Rutte defended the latest US strikes and sought to soften the tensions between Trump and his allies on the issue.

"What you did last night was absolutely necessary. It was a very strong response. When you have a ceasefire and Iran is basically violating the ceasefire, I think it is totally crucial that the US forcefully react."

Greenland Demand Resurfaces at Summit

Trump also used the Ankara summit to revive his demand that the United States take control of Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark. The issue has placed severe strain on the NATO alliance since Trump first raised it, and his decision to return to it in such a public setting deepened the unease among European leaders present.

"Greenland is very important for the United States, but it's not important for Denmark. In fact, when Denmark was overrun by the Nazis in less than one day, they asked us to take care of Greenland. In fact, we took Greenland, and then stupidly we gave it back."

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen responded firmly, making clear that Greenland's status was not open to negotiation.

"We are ready to defend every inch of NATO, including our own territory."

Defence Spending Pledges Overshadowed

The summit had opened with considerable momentum on defence spending, with at least $50 billion in defence initiatives unveiled by European NATO countries on Tuesday. Rutte, who has worked persistently to manage Trump's concerns around defence contributions, Iran and Greenland, praised the president for pushing allies to raise their spending commitments.

"It's really important when it comes to NATO, what you have achieved, and this is a huge win."

Those carefully constructed messages, however, were largely swallowed by the chaos of Trump's remarks on Spain, Iran and Greenland, leaving European leaders to manage fresh tensions rather than consolidate the progress they had hoped to demonstrate.