US President Donald Trump said he thought "NATO came a long way today," after the Ankara summit concluded on Wednesday.
The president entered the summit expressing his concerns about the amount of money the US gave to NATO compared to the support they received.
On Tuesday, Trump told Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that he "was very disappointed with NATO," singling out Britain, France, Germany and Italy for not doing enough to support the US war on Iran.
Trump added that "we weren't treated well" by the allies, even as he reiterated that he did not want or need their help.
However, following the two-day summit at which NATO leaders unveiled tens of billions of dollars in arms deals, Trump has changed his tune.
NATO countries appeared to regain Trump's support
Speaking at the summit on Wednesday morning, Trump called Madrid a "terrible partner" in NATO as he railed against allies for not supporting the war on Iran and ordered Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to halt all trade with Spain.
"Spain is a wasted cause. We don't want to do any trade business with Spain anymore," Trump said. "By the way, I'd like to cut it off. Spain is a terrible partner in NATO. They don't participate; they don't pay. I don't want anything to do with Spain. Cut off all trade with Spain, including visits."
After the two-day summit where European leaders scrambled to show that they are working to take on more responsibility for the continent’s security, Trump's views on the alliance appear to be heading in a positive direction.
Hours later, as he returned from the NATO summit, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, "I did have issues, and I still do. But Spain, they came back all the way today. Spain was very generous today."
Tensions within NATO, already strained over Ukraine and Trump's desire to wrest Greenland from fellow NATO member Denmark, have deepened since the US attacked Iran in February.
Trump has repeatedly criticized NATO members for insufficient support in the conflict, threatening to quit the alliance.