US President Donald Trump branded Spain a ‘problem’ after the country refused to commit 5% of its GDP to defence spending – in line with the new NATO target.
Trump launched a broadside at Spain just hours before the NATO summit in The Hague, accusing the Spanish government of dragging its heels on military spending.
Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump said: ‘They’re having a problem with Spain… always a problem with Spain… Spain is not agreeing, which I think is very unfair to the rest of them.’
The comments were in reference to a looming agreement among NATO allies to boost defence budgets to 5% of GDP.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will chair the principal meeting between the alliance members on Friday, in which leaders will discuss military spending, among other key topics.
Spain, which has committed to a more modest 2.1% of its GDP, now finds itself at odds with Washington and NATO hardliners pushing for greater military muscle in the face of mounting global threats – including Russia and now Iran and an increasingly unstable Middle East.
Sources within the Spanish government told La Sexta they are eager to avoid open confrontation with the US.
While they insist Spain’s position reflects its sovereign right to chart its own defence strategy, they acknowledge that falling short of the 5% target is politically fraught.
This is not the first time Trump has taken aim at Spain. Less than a week ago, he slammed Madrid for ‘paying very little’ as a NATO member, questioning whether the country had negotiated cleverly – or simply failed to pull its weight.
Rutte, meanwhile, appears to have sided with Trump’s tough stance. Ahead of the summit, he stated that Spain ‘will have to spend 3.5%’ of GDP to meet the agreed NATO objectives – contradicting Spain’s claim that 2.1% is sufficient.
PM Sanchez, for his part, has held firm, declaring Spain will allocate ‘no more, no less’ than 2.1% of GDP – a figure he says balances NATO obligations with protecting Spain’s welfare state.
