President Donald Trump on Wednesday challenged NATO’s united front, criticized some allies for not spending enough on defense, and highlighted divisions within the alliance.
The NATO leaders’ meeting in Turkey comes at a time when the alliance faces growing challenges both internally and externally, and questions are growing about how best to support Ukraine in its war with larger neighbor Russia.
Since returning to the White House last year, President Trump has repeatedly made public his dissatisfaction with NATO, calling for member states to increase defense spending and, more recently, criticizing NATO allies for refusing to join the US military campaign against Iran.
At a summit in Ankara on Wednesday morning, President Trump made scathing remarks about NATO member Spain, which has not committed to the alliance’s new goal of spending 5% of its gross domestic product (GDP) by 2035.
“Spain is a terrible partner for NATO. They don’t participate, they don’t pay. We want nothing to do with Spain. We want them to cut off all trade with Spain, including visits,” he told a news conference in Ankara with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
President Trump also resurfaced his desire to take control of Greenland, a territory of NATO member Denmark, reigniting tensions between the alliance.
Prime Minister Rutte told reporters earlier that he touted increased cohesion among member states, increased defense spending and a series of military agreements signed at the event as signs of the emergence of “NATO 3.0.”
Despite President Trump’s renewed call for the US to acquire Greenland, Rutte insisted the US remains committed to the NATO alliance.
“The United States has a full commitment to NATO, and that commitment exists without a doubt,” Rutte told reporters as he arrived at the NATO summit on Wednesday morning. “NATO also exists in the interest of the United States, for example to prevent Russian nuclear submarines from washing ashore on American shores. The United States needs a secure Atlantic, Europe and Arctic to stay safe, so there is full commitment to NATO.”
U.S. President Donald Trump (Republican) listens to a speech by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland on January 21, 2026.
Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images
Rutte added that the alliance’s commitment agreed last year to spend 5% of member countries’ gross domestic product on defense was a “huge victory” for all member states and a loss for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Today, we hope to once again collectively recognize that Russia is a long-term threat to NATO territory,” he said ahead of a meeting between allies.
Asked if he had a message for President Putin, Rutte replied: “Please don’t fool us.”
“My message is that this alliance of a billion people in Europe, in Canada, in the United States, will protect every inch of our territory,” he said. “You can’t win (against) NATO. We are defensive. We will never attack anyone. We only protect our way of life, our democracy, our territory. So don’t fool us, don’t toy with us.”
NATO has been heavily involved in providing military support to Ukraine since Russia launched a full-scale war in the country in early 2022. Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania, which are part of the eastern part of the alliance, share a border with Ukraine.
The Russian government strongly opposes Ukraine’s membership in NATO, arguing that the expansion of the military alliance in Eastern Europe is the reason for launching so-called “special military operations” in Ukraine.
