Overview

• Speaking in the Oval Office alongside Finland’s president Alexander Stubb, the U.S. president labeled Spain the laggard on a U.S.-pushed 5% of GDP defense goal and said it “perhaps should be expelled.”
• Madrid responded with a measured tone, saying Spain is a full, loyal NATO member and that its capability commitments remain on track.
• The North Atlantic Treaty does not include an expulsion mechanism, with Article 13 allowing only voluntary withdrawal after notice.
• At June’s NATO summit in The Hague, allies embraced a 5% ambition by 2035, while Spain negotiated flexibility and is targeting roughly 2–2.1% after boosting investment to reach 2% in 2025.
• Spain’s opposition leaders Alberto Núñez Feijóo and Santiago Abascal seized on the remarks to attack Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez over defense policy.