US President Donald Trump expressed great displeasure with NATO during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the start of a NATO summit in Ankara.

He said, 'I am very upset with NATO,' adding, 'I am dissatisfied with the alliance because of what it did with Greenland, and because it did not want to help us confront the number one state sponsor of terrorism, which is Iran. It was unprepared to help us,' according to Agence France-Presse.

Greenland

Trump also expressed frustration at not being able to acquire Greenland, an issue he considers 'a big problem.' Speaking about this self-governing Danish territory, the US president said, 'Greenland is very important to the United States, but it is not important to Denmark.'

The US president recalled historical events, saying that 'when the Nazis took over Denmark in less than a day' during World War II, 'they asked us to take responsibility for Greenland,' and 'then we foolishly gave it back to them.' He added, 'We need it to protect the world, not just the United States,' but 'when we wanted to acquire it,' NATO members 'all said no.'

The Atlantic alliance had gone through a period of severe turbulence earlier this year when Donald Trump threatened to acquire Greenland, which is considered vital to US security, without ruling out the use of force.

He backed down after weeks of harsh rhetoric, and in January announced a framework agreement on Greenland with Mark Rutte, although details remained vague.

On Wednesday, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen reiterated from Ankara that 'Greenland is not for sale.'

Cutting trade with Spain

In a speech during the NATO leaders' summit in Ankara, Trump also said he had ordered Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to cut trade relations with Spain, describing Madrid as a 'bad partner' in NATO.

Trump said in Ankara, 'Spain is a lost cause. We no longer want to conduct any business dealings with Spain.'

For his part, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte defended Spain, speaking of 'the important step it took last year' regarding its military spending, ahead of the official opening of the NATO summit in the Turkish capital Ankara. Trump has repeatedly criticized Madrid for refusing to allow the United States to use military bases for airstrikes during the war in the Middle East since the end of February.

The United States launched new military strikes on Iran early Wednesday and canceled a waiver allowing Tehran to sell oil, in response to attacks targeting three tankers. This represents the latest blow to the fragile ceasefire agreement in a war that is highly unpopular in Europe.

When asked whether the agreement had collapsed, Trump said, 'That is a very interesting question. For me, I think it's over. I don't want to deal with them.' He added, 'They are scum. They are sick. And they are led by sick people.' He continued, 'For me, dealing with them is just a waste of time,' according to Reuters.