Overview

• Speaking in the Oval Office alongside Finland’s president Alexander Stubb, President Donald Trump said Spain should perhaps be expelled for refusing a 5% of GDP defense target.
• Trump said allies had broadly embraced the 5% ambition and singled out Spain as the laggard, urging partners to press Madrid on its plans.
• NATO figures put Spain’s 2024 defense outlays at about 1.24% of GDP, while alliance estimates and a €10.5 billion Spanish injection point to roughly 2% in 2025.
• Spain’s government responded with “maximum calm,” calling Spain a fully committed member and arguing it can meet capability goals on the negotiated spending path.
• Opposition leaders Alberto Núñez Feijóo and Santiago Abascal blamed Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez for the fallout, while no formal NATO process to expel Spain has been reported.