Related videos:
The American president, Donald Trump, issued a stern warning to Spain on Thursday, stating that it could be expelled from NATO if it does not significantly increase its defense spending.
“Perhaps you should expel Spain from NATO,” he stated at a joint press conference with the President of Finland, Alexander Stubb, at the White House.
Trump assured that at the NATO summit held in The Hague in June, the 32 member countries agreed to raise military spending from 2% to 5% of Gross Domestic Product.
"We had a laggard: Spain. They have no excuse for not doing it," said the U.S. president.
During the appearance, Trump asked Stubb to speak directly with the Spanish government to pressure it; after previously threatening in June to increase tariffs on the European nation if it did not increase military spending.
“I believe you will have to start talking to Spain,” he pointed out, highlighting the importance of all members meeting the new defense investment threshold.
Spain was one of the countries that expressed reservations during the summit, which nearly derailed the consensus.
The president Pedro Sánchez managed to include a nuance in the final communiqué that allows for a flexible interpretation of the 5% target, contingent upon meeting certain military capability objectives defined by the Alliance.
Currently, Spain's defense spending has reached 2% of GDP, amounting to nearly 30 billion euros, but international pressure indicates a need for even greater increases, which could create internal tensions in the country amid the preparation of the General State Budget for 2026, reported El País.
The leader of the Popular Party, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, responded to Trump's statements via the social network X (formerly Twitter): “The problem is not Spain. Spain is a credible, proud, and committed partner of NATO. And we will continue to be.”
Feijóo also criticized the Prime Minister, stating: “Sánchez is not trustworthy, but that should not drag the country down. Spain will not leave NATO. Sánchez will leave La Moncloa.”
The incident occurs during a time of heightened geopolitical tension in Europe. In recent weeks, drones of Russian origin have crossed the airspace of Poland and Sweden, which has been described by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, as an act of hybrid warfare.
Trump took advantage of his appearance to emphasize the need to strengthen European defense. “We will have four times more American material in Europe,” added Stubb, who tried to soften the U.S. president's statements by assuring that work will be done under the leadership of the new NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte.
Filed under: