Brussels, Belgium (Enmaeya News) — NATO members agreed Sunday to raise their defense spending target to 5% of GDP, a move pushed by U.S. President Donald Trump. However, Spain said it would not meet the target just days before a NATO summit in The Hague, which is meant to show unity.
NATO officials worked to tried to agree on a spending commitment ahead of Wednesday’s summit. But Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced Thursday that Spain would not commit to the 5% goal.
NATO chief Mark Rutte proposed increasing the alliance’s core defense spending target from 2% to 3.5% of GDP, with an additional 1.5% to be spent on related areas such as cybersecurity and adapting infrastructure for military use.
After diplomats agreed on a compromise text Sunday, Sanchez quickly stated that Spain would not have to meet the full 5% target. He said the country only needs to spend 2.1% of GDP to meet NATO’s core military requirements.
“We fully respect the legitimate desire of other countries to increase their defense investment, but we are not going to do so,” Sanchez said during a televised address.
In 2024, Spain spent 1.24% of its GDP on defense, about 17.2 billion euros ($19.8 billion), making it the lowest spender in NATO relative to economic output, according to alliance estimates.
NATO officials say large increases in defense spending are necessary to counter growing threats from Russia and to help Europe take more responsibility for its security as the U.S. shifts its military focus to China.
Trump has frequently criticized European countries for low defense spending, warning they may not be protected if they fail to meet targets. On Friday, he said Spain “has to pay what everybody else has to pay” and called Madrid “notorious” for low defense spending.
However, Trump also suggested the U.S. should not have to meet the new 5% target, citing America’s long-term spending to protect Europe. The U.S. spent an estimated 3.19% of GDP on defense in 2024, according to NATO.
Sanchez said Spain does not need to meet the new target, warning that doing so would require severe cuts to social spending, including pensions, or tax increases.
NATO has not released the compromise summit text, which will become official once approved by leaders of NATO’s 32 member countries.
Diplomats noted a change in the language about spending commitments, from “we commit” to “allies commit,” which gave Spain room to say the pledge does not apply to every member.
In a letter seen by Reuters, Rutte told Sanchez that Spain would have “flexibility to determine its own sovereign path” to meet military capability targets agreed with NATO.
A NATO diplomat described the letter as “an affirmation that allies chart their own course for making good on their commitments” to meet capability targets.
NATO officials remain skeptical that Spain can meet its military goals by spending only 2.1% of GDP, as Sanchez suggests.
Rutte initially proposed that countries meet the new target by 2032, but the final text sets the deadline for 2035, diplomats said. There will also be a review of the target in 2029.
