New Delhi, July 9 -- US President Donald Trump praised Spain on Thursday for making a substantial financial commitment, abruptly ending a fierce NATO summit standoff that had threatened to sever bilateral trade and security ties.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump announced that Madrid had "honoured a request for lots of payment." The announcement marked a dramatic shift in tone; earlier in the summit, Trump had dismissed Spain as a "hopeless" ally and a "wasted cause."

"I will say, I did have issues with Spain, and I still do, but Spain came back all the way today. Spain was very generous today," Trump said. Framing the resolution as a triumph for his hardline foreign policy, he added: "They honoured a request for lots o...