MADRID, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Spain said Wednesday it received the remarks of U.S. President Donald Trump with "calm and normality" and was not surprised by their tone or manner, after Trump accused Spain of being a "terrible" ally and threatened to cut off trade with the country.
Spanish Finance Minister Arcadi Espana said relations between Spain and the United States have been "very good for many years" and that "nobody wants that to change."
Meanwhile, Spain's trade relations with the United States fall within the framework of the European Union, meaning that no individual member state can be singled out for separate trade treatment, Espana said, noting that the United States runs a trade surplus with Spain.
Trump, at a joint appearance with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the alliance's summit in Ankara, Türkiye, criticized Spain for refusing to commit to NATO's new defense spending target of 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) and for its earlier refusal to allow the use of Spanish bases and airspace for operations linked to Iran.
The U.S. president described Spain as a "terrible" NATO ally and said he had instructed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to cut off trade with Spain.
Trump has repeatedly criticized Spain for refusing to endorse NATO's 5 percent defense spending target, while the Spanish government insists it can meet the alliance's capability commitments without adopting that goal. ■