Trump says Spain will be "ruined" over migration crisis, NATO commitments

US President Donald Trump has warned that Spain will become a “ruined country” as he criticised its handling of migration and its defence spending in an interview with GB News.

Trump was speaking amid a migrant crisis in Ceuta, a Spanish exclave in North Africa, where more than 70,000 migrants from Morocco reportedly arrived on July 30. Many later returned to Morocco, while thousands remained in the territory.

He told GB News: "Spain will be a ruined country, and I've had my own problems with Spain because Spain doesn't behave very well with respect to NATO.

"They don't pay what they should be paying. It's very sad."

Spain has opposed NATO's target of increasing defence and security-related spending to 5% of GDP by 2035. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has described the target as “not only unreasonable but also counterproductive”.

Spain currently meets NATO's 2% defence spending target but has resisted the higher target, arguing that its existing level of spending is sufficient.

Trump also said the UK was facing its own migration problems, although he said they were less visible than the situation in Ceuta.

"Hopefully other countries like the UK - where you have your own problems - but it's not as visible as that," he said.

"You know, you don't have thousands of people just bum rushing your country. I've never seen anything like it."

The Ceuta crisis has triggered protests in Spain, with demonstrators criticising the government's handling of the situation and some calling for Sánchez to resign.

The Spanish prime minister has blamed human trafficking gangs and online disinformation for the migrant arrivals, while rejecting claims of Moroccan involvement.

Trump has previously criticised Spain over its NATO commitments and its position on the use of US military bases. His latest comments come as Washington seeks greater defence burden-sharing from European allies and Canada.

By Aghakazim Guliyev