Madrid – On Thursday, President Donald Trump stated that he needs to discuss increasing Spain’s military budget, noting it is the only NATO member that has not pledged to boost its Defense spending.
During his address at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where he introduced the Peace Board for Gaza, Trump highlighted international achievements from his second term’s first year, including a commitment made at the Hague summit by allies to allocate 5% of their GDP towards military spending.
“I secured commitments from nearly all NATO members to raise their defense spending to 5% of GDP, except Spain. I’m unsure what’s going on with Spain,” he stated.
Trump criticized the government of Pedro Sánchez, implying it may be seeking to “take advantage.” He remarked, “I don’t understand why. We will need to engage in talks with Spain,” referring to the unwillingness to exceed 2% spending.
Disagreements over the military spending target have characterized the bilateral relations between Spain and the U.S. in the past year, with Trump previously threatening tariffs due to what he perceives as Spain’s “disrespectful” position.
He even suggested the possibility of NATO expelling Spain, despite the fact that the alliance has no procedure for expelling a member and any withdrawal must be voluntary.
At the summit in the Netherlands, Spain reaffirmed its support for the declaration establishing 5% as the new investment goal for 2035, following a letter from NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte that provided Spain with more leeway to achieve its capability targets without adhering to a specific figure.
The editorial responsibility for this publication lies with Europa Press.
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