Particle.news
Download on the App Store
9 ARTICLES
·
15h ago

Spain’s Rejection Casts Doubt on NATO’s 5% Defense Spending Plan

NATO leaders gather next week to consider a U.S.-driven proposal designed to boost military readiness in response to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

FILE- President Donald Trump, center, stops to talk with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, left, and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, as they attend a meeting of the North Atlantic Council during a summit of heads of state and government at NATO headquarters in Brussels on July 11, 2018.
Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics gestures as he speaks during interview in Riga, Latvia June 20, 2025. REUTERS/Ints Kalnins
Image
Image

Overview

  • Spain’s prime minister ruled out the 5% defense spending goal, calling it unreasonable and counterproductive.
  • Belgium, Canada, France and Italy are also expected to struggle with the financial burden of raising military budgets to that level.
  • The proposal would require 3.5% of GDP for core defense and 1.5% for infrastructure upgrades such as roads, bridges and airfields.
  • President Trump has suggested that the U.S. could reconsider its defense commitments for allies that fail to meet the new threshold.
  • Allies are discussing a possible 2032 deadline to achieve the 5% target as they prepare to gather in The Hague on June 24–25.