Hague (TDI): At the NATO summit in Hague, on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump said that Spain could face tougher trade terms after it refused to commit to NATO’s recently approved 5% defense spending goal.
Speaking at a press conference, Trump expressed his displeasure with Spain’s defense contributions and warned that economic consequences may follow.
NATO members largely supported the raising of the defense spending target to 5% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP); a measure taken following the dictates of evolving global security realities and pushed essentially by Trump.
While majority of the member states nodded to the new target, Spain chose to make a less ambitious commitment. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez explained the move by citing fiscal priorities in domestic matters and reaffirming that Spain is dedicated to honoring its NATO commitments within a sustainable agenda.
PM Sánchez, in his remarks to the media following the summit, highlighted the budgetary anticipated with the adoption of the 5% goal, saying that Spain would need to put an additional €300 billion into defense by 2035.
Read More: Spain Rejects NATO’s 5% Defense Spending Target
“Where would that come from? From healthcare and education cuts,” he told reporters.Â
Trump, nevertheless, indicated his resistance by declaring, “We’re negotiating with Spain on a trade agreement. We’re going to charge them double. They’re the only country that won’t pay the full 5%. But they’ll pay it back to us in terms of trade.”Â
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised Spain’s contribution but at the same time expressed concerns that the current level of defense spending may not be acceptable to future alliances.
“Spain is capable and has made real contributions. They send troops, they’re training troops,” Rubio stated. “But I don’t think the agreement Spain has negotiated is sustainable over the long term.”.
Despite disagreement, Spain supported the final declaration. This gives Spain margin on how it will proceed towards the achievement of the 5% goal, the progress on which will be reviewed in 2029.
The summit ended with leaders reiterating NATO’s solidarity and shared resolve in the face of global security challenges. Though the choice of Spain’s defense expenditure made headlines, Europe’s nod to spending more on defense also signals a self-relying posture.Â
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