Sanchez and Trump at NATO summit, but no contact observed

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and U.S. President Donald Trump were both in attendance at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, but no direct interaction between the two leaders was observed. The two figures were present for the customary family photo of summit attendees and proceeded to the main sessions, though they maintained separate paths.

Trump, who had previously issued strong criticisms of Spain, including calling the country a "lost cause" and stating it was "bad people" with whom all trade should be cut, was positioned centrally in the group photograph alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Sánchez, following protocol, was seated to his left, separated by other European leaders.

Despite the lack of direct contact at the summit, Sánchez's government responded to Trump's earlier remarks with apparent composure. Sources within the Spanish government indicated that the comments were received with "calmness and normality." They also emphasized that the European Union operates as a trade union, implying that the United States cannot single out its trade relationship with one member state.

Sánchez, accompanied by his ministers of Defense and Foreign Affairs, Margarita Robles and José Manuel Albares, respectively, took his assigned seat, with three seats separating him from Trump. No interaction was observed during the brief walk to the summit hall, where leaders engaged in relaxed conversations with various counterparts. Images from the previous evening's pre-summit dinner also showed no contact between the two leaders.