Trump praises a unified NATO after scolding allies to be team players, spend more on defense

President Trump berated Spain and other NATO allies Wednesday before hailing the “tremendous unity” of the alliance, capping a whirlwind two-day summit in which the U.S. extended a huge boost to Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against Russia.

Mr. Trump ruffled allies by repeating his demands for Greenland, threatening to cut off trade with Spain and complaining about their lack of cooperation on the Iran war, all in the space of 36 hours at the NATO meetings in Ankara, Turkey.

Yet by the day’s end, he softened his tone and took a big step toward resolving the Ukraine war. He said he would give Kyiv the right to manufacture its own Patriot missiles under a U.S. license for Raytheon and Lockheed Martin technology.

The missiles are critical for Ukraine’s air defense and will increase pressure on Moscow to wind down the nearly 5-year-old conflict as it sustains stunning losses on the battlefield.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte praised Mr. Trump for prodding European allies and Canada to work toward a commitment to spend 5% of gross domestic product on defense.

“You made this happen,” Mr. Rutte told Mr. Trump during a meeting on the summit sidelines.

“That’s why I like him,” said the president, pointing back at the secretary-general.

Mr. Rutte called the NATO summit “tremendously successful.” He cited $50 billion in new weapons deals and a $27 billion investment in fuel storage and distribution pipelines.

“The message from this summit is simple: NATO delivers,” Mr. Rutte said.

’Not for sale’: The Greenland question makes a comeback

Tensions simmered below the surface of the NATO summit, despite the smiles, family photographs and victory lap over defense commitments.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen vowed Wednesday to “defend” Greenland against any attempt by the U.S. to gain control of the Arctic island.

“Greenland is, of course, not for sale,” Ms. Frederiksen said at the NATO summit. “We hope that all, including all allies, will respect the Greenlandic people’s right for self-determination.”

Denmark retains control over Greenland’s foreign policy, national security and monetary policy, but Greenland operates as an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark.

Mr. Trump has long sought control of mineral-rich Greenland, saying he is concerned that Russia and China are making inroads.

Also, Greenland’s location would make it an indispensable site for America’s ballistic missile early warning systems and space surveillance, and it would give the U.S. access to new transpolar shipping routes.

“We took Greenland and then stupidly we gave it back,” Mr. Trump said. “We need it for protection of the world, not just the United States.”

During World War II, U.S. forces established military bases and administrative control over Greenland after Denmark was occupied by Nazi Germany.

Mr. Rutte said the nations had established a process for managing the Arctic at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January.

“We have a good process in place,” Mr. Rutte said.

Trump calls Spain a ’wasted cause’

Mr. Trump singled out Spain in harsh terms on Wednesday, calling it a weak NATO partner and ordering his administration to cut off all trade and visits.

“Cut off all trade with Spain, please, including visits. OK, we don’t want anything to do — watch them, watch them come running back, all they’ll come running back,” Mr. Trump said during a meeting with Mr. Rutte.

Mr. Trump scolded the Spaniards after Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and the government refused to let the U.S. use an air base and a naval base for the military campaign against Iran.

Spain also refused to meet NATO’s target of spending 5% of gross domestic product on defense. It is spending approximately 2.1% of GDP on defense but has refused to commit to the 5% target.

Mr. Rutte pushed back a bit against Mr. Trump, saying Spain had made a “huge step” by reaching 2% in defense spending last year, up from 1.4% in 2021.

Mr. Trump said Spain is being disrespectful to the alliance.

“Spain is a terrible partner in NATO. They don’t participate, they don’t pay,” Mr. Trump said. “I don’t want anything to do with Spain.”

It was unclear whether, or how, Mr. Trump planned to carry out his threat. Spain is a major travel destination for Americans, and Spain conducts its trade policy through the European Union, which is also its main export market.

The Spanish government took Mr. Trump’s comments in stride, telling reporters the rhetoric seemed to be business as usual from the U.S. leader.

The U.S. sold about $26.6 billion in goods to Spain and imported about $21.4 billion from the country in 2025, resulting in a trade surplus of roughly $5 billion.

Later Wednesday, Mr. Trump pared back his rhetoric about NATO allies, saying many of them were being team players and boosting their defense spending.

“Some have answered the call, and some are making big changes,” Mr. Trump said.

Trump gives missile license to Ukraine: ’Make them yourself’

Mr. Trump made a significant announcement by confirming that Ukraine could manufacture Patriot missiles as it faces a continued aerial onslaught from Russia.

“This way, you can’t complain that we’re not giving them enough,” Mr. Trump said during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Patriot missiles are vital to Ukraine’s ability to repel Russian airstrikes such as the ones that recently struck Kyiv, the capital, killing at least 50 people.

“It’s a defensive situation, as opposed to an offensive,” Mr. Trump said. “Let’s say, ’make them yourself.’ We haven’t informed the company of that yet, but that’ll work out all right.”

Moscow said it attacked Kyiv in response to strikes on Russian land, but Ukraine said it was trying to defend itself from Russia’s unprovoked invasion, which began in February 2022.

U.S. officials said Ukraine’s incursion into Russia signaled that Moscow is having a harder time defending its airspace.

“It’s an escalation, but it’s also an escalation that can help lead to an end,” Mr. Trump said.

Mr. Trump said both Mr. Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin want to find a way to end the conflict.

“Usually that means a settlement, but who knows, this is a tough one,” Mr. Trump said. “Putin’s a difficult character, and this guy’s a difficult character.

“I think we’ve made a lot of progress in the last couple of weeks,” Mr. Trump said. “They want to get it done.”

Mr. Zelenskyy thanked Mr. Trump and the U.S. for the support.

He said Mr. Putin is losing many soldiers on the battlefield, and it has been difficult to understand what Russia is demanding before it ends its invasion.

A bipartisan group of five U.S. senators and Rep. Mike Turner, Ohio Republican, met with Mr. Zelenskyy at the NATO summit and urged Mr. Trump to maintain support for Ukraine.

“Putin is at his weakest position in years, and real sustained pressure can finally bring this war to a close,” they said in a joint statement.

Mr. Rutte delivered a stern message to Russia.

“This alliance will defend every inch of our territory,” he said at a press conference. “We are defensive. We will never attack anyone. We will only defend our way of life, our democracies, our territories. So don’t fool with us, don’t play with us.”

Mr. Trump said he intends to lift Syria’s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism, subject to a 45-day congressional review period, saying the country has made huge strides under President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

“I think I will. Why wouldn’t I?” Mr. Trump responded when asked if he would remove Syria from the list of state sponsors of terrorism.

“He’s done a great job,” Mr. Trump said of Mr. al-Sharaa, adding that Syria could help the U.S. deal with Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy in Lebanon that has been fighting with Israel for years.

A group of bipartisan lawmakers recently sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging the administration to lift the state sponsor of terrorism designation on Syria.

The letter was signed by Democratic Sens. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, and Republican Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina.

“While Syria does need to make more progress in a variety of areas … the grounds for the SST designation in U.S. law no longer apply,” they said, “and the listing remains a significant barrier to achieving the administration and congressional priority of giving Syria a chance to succeed.”