NATO Pledges $80B for Ukraine, Trump Targets Spain Trade
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- NATO leaders pledged €70 billion ($80 billion) in assistance to Ukraine at the Ankara summit, with Trump calling the gathering "tremendously successful" despite publicly questioning allies' commitment to Article 5 mutual defense.
- Trump ordered a trade embargo on Spain, directing Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to "cut off all trade … including visits" over defense spending tensions, with US Treasury, Commerce, and USTR preparing a menu of Spanish products for partial embargo.
- NATO members committed to more than $50 billion in new defense procurements, though only 5 of the alliance's 32 members are projected to hit the 3.5% GDP defense spending target in 2026.
- Trump announced he would lift US sanctions on Turkey and consider resuming F-35 jet sales, reversing the 2019 ouster from the F-35 program after Ankara acquired Russian S-400 air defenses.
- Trump also renewed threats to acquire Greenland from Denmark and approved the sale of Tomahawk cruise missiles to Germany, despite doubts about the planned deployment.
- Britain and the Netherlands signed a £2.4 billion ($3.2 billion) maritime partnership to equip their forces with new amphibious transport ships.
Why it matters: Only 5 of 32 NATO members are projected to hit the 3.5% defense spending target, yet allies still pledged €70 billion for Ukraine while Trump unilaterally embargoed Spain and threatened Denmark over Greenland. The summit papered over fractures that Trump's bilateral actions — not NATO collective decisions — are actively widening.
