Trump says Spain 'fully redeemed' after agreeing to NATO payment request

Donald Trump claimed Spain had fully redeemed itself after agreeing to a significant payment request from NATO, a move he praised after previously criticizing the nation. The U.S. president made these remarks aboard Air Force One while returning to Washington from Ankara, Turkey, though he did not provide specific details about the agreement.

Trump had earlier asserted that Spain had behaved poorly by not supporting his stance against Iran. He highlighted the "tremendous unity" observed during the NATO summit in Ankara. The U.S. president did not specify which "important payment request" he was referring to.

Prior to these statements, the dispute between Washington and Madrid centered on Spain's commitment to a defense spending target of 5% of its GDP. The Spanish government, under Pedro Sánchez, deemed this goal unnecessary for meeting NATO's military requirements. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte had indicated that the Ankara summit was intended to solidify commitments made at the previous year's summit in The Hague, where allies pledged to increase military spending to 5% of GDP over ten years, aiming for a credible path to achieve this goal. Rutte acknowledged U.S. "irritation" over lower military investments by European allies and Canada, noting a current shift in these contributions.