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Spain Rejects NATO’s 5% Spending Target, Forces Last-Minute Summit Talks

Pedro Sánchez’s demand for a flexible formula to shield social programs has forced allies to reopen negotiations just days before the Hague summit.

Overview

  • Spain’s prime minister sent a letter to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte rejecting the alliance’s proposal to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035 and halting the silent approval process
  • NATO chief Mark Rutte has proposed splitting the 5% target into a 3.5% military budget and a 1.5% security investment bucket while extending the deadline to 2035
  • President Trump publicly criticized Spain for underfunding its defense and warned that countries failing to meet the 5% threshold could jeopardize their reliance on US protection
  • Spain increased its military budget from 1.4% of GDP in 2024 to a planned 2% in 2025 but argues higher levels would undermine its constitutional welfare guarantees
  • Sánchez leveraged the spending debate to rally his coalition partners and divert attention from corruption scandals threatening his government’s stability