NATO Strikes Spending Deal, But Spain Exemption Claim Risks Trump Ire
NATO on Sunday signed off on a pledge to ramp up defence spending before its upcoming summit, but Madrid insisted it would not need to hit the five percent of GDP demanded by US President Donald Trump.
The claim by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez sets up a potential clash with Trump, who has pressured allies to commit to that headline figure when they meet for the two-day gathering starting on Tuesday in The Hague.
Spain had been the last holdout on a compromise deal that sees allies promise to reach 3.5 percent on core military needs over the next decade, and spend 1.5 percent on a looser category of "defence-related" expenditures such as infrastructure and cybersecurity.
Multiple diplomats at NATO said the agreement -- set to be unveiled at the summit -- had gone through with the approval of all 32 nations and that there was no exemption for Madrid.
But within minutes Sanchez came out saying he had struck an accord with NATO that would see his country keep respecting its commitments "without having to raise our defence spending to five percent of gross domestic product".
"We understand the difficulty of the geopolitical context, fully respect the legitimate desire of other countries to increase their defence investment, if they so wish, but we are not going to do it," he said.
NATO diplomats now fear that Spain's position could undermine its carefully choreographed show of unity with Trump in The Hague, which already risks being overshadowed by the US decision to strike Iran.
"Not ok," one diplomat said, on condition of anonymity.
Madrid's claims came after Sanchez on Thursday threw a last-minute grenade into preparations for the gathering in the Netherlands by taking a strong stand against the agreement.
In a blistering letter to NATO chief Mark Rutte, Sanchez said that committing to a headline figure of five percent of GDP "would not only be unreasonable, but also counterproductive".
That prompted a warning from Trump that "Spain has to pay what everybody else has to pay."
"NATO is going to have to deal with Spain," he told reporters on Friday, calling the country "notorious" for spending less on defence than other alliance members.
The outburst from Madrid's centre-left leader also sparked fury from other NATO members desperate to keep Trump -- who has threatened not to protect allies spending too little -- on their side.
The pledge is seen as key both to satisfying Trump and helping NATO build up the forces it needs to deter Russia.
After several days of wrangling involving Sanchez and Rutte, officials said Spain on Sunday signed off on the pledge.
Diplomats said that language around the spending pledge in the summit's final declaration had been slightly softened from "we commit", to "allies commit".
They insisted the fundamentals of the deal remained intact and that it applied to Spain.
But government sources in Madrid said the linguistic tweak meant only those countries that opted-in were covered by the promise and that Rutte was set to send a letter to Sanchez saying that Spain will have "flexibility".
Sanchez is facing a difficult balancing act of aligning with NATO allies and cajoling his junior coalition partner, the far-left alliance Sumar, which is hostile to increasing military spending.
Spain has been one of the lowest-spending NATO countries on defence in relative terms.
The country is only set to hit the alliance's current target of two percent this year after a 10-billion-euro ($11.5 billion) injection.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Int'l Business Times
2 hours ago
- Int'l Business Times
Democrat 'Briefed on Intelligence' Says 'Iran Posed No Imminent Threat,' Was Not on Verge of Nuclear Weapon as Claimed by Netanyahu and Trump
Connecticut Rep. Chris Murphy denounced Trump's attack on Iran on Sunday. Fallout continues from the Trump administration's surprise bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites early Sunday, as a Democratic lawmaker refutes claims that Iran was close to developing a "deliverable nuclear weapon." Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy is the latest lawmaker to condemn President Trump's unilateral decision to strike Iran early Sunday. He also challenged claims by the Trump administration and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has made similar assertions for decades, that Iran was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon. "I was briefed on the intelligence last week," Murphy wrote in an X post shared late Saturday evening. "Iran posed no imminent threat of attack to the United States. Iran was not close to building a deliverable nuclear weapon." "The negotiations Israel scuttled with their strikes held the potential for success," he added, referring to the sixth round of talks between Iran and the U.S., which was scheduled for June 15, just two days before Israel launched its unprovoked attack on Iran. I was briefed on the intelligence last week. Iran posed no imminent threat of attack to the United States. Iran was not close to building a deliverable nuclear weapon. The negotiations Israel scuttled with their strikes held the potential for success. — Chris Murphy 🟧 (@ChrisMurphyCT) June 22, 2025 In a follow-up X post, Murphy reiterated that Iran was at the negotiating table, "which makes this attack—with all its enormous risks—so reckless." "The context matter. We know—for certain—there is a diplomatic path to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. The Obama agreement was working. And as late as a week ago, Iran was back at the table again," Murphy wrote. The context matters. We know - for certain - there is a diplomatic path to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. The Obama agreement was working. And as late as a week ago, Iran was back at the table again. Which makes this attack - with all its enormous risks - so reckless. — Chris Murphy 🟧 (@ChrisMurphyCT) June 22, 2025 In addition to U.S. lawmakers, including Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Ortiz, speaking out against Trump's attack on Iran, leaders from around the world denounced the escalation in the Israel-Iran war, Al Jazeera reported. "I am gravely alarmed by the use of force by the United States against Iran today," United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said. "This is a dangerous escalation in a region already on the edge – and a direct threat to international peace and security." Russia's foreign ministry strongly condemned the attack. In a statement released Sunday, the ministry stated the attack was an "irresponsible decision to subject the territory of a sovereign state to missile and bomb attacks, whatever the arguments it may be presented with, flagrantly violates international law, the Charter of the United Nations and the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council." UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer showed his support for Trumps' attack, writing in a statement that "Iran's nuclear programme is a grave threat to international security." "Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and the US has taken action to alleviate that threat," Starmer said in a statement, echoing Trump and Netanyahu's unverified claim. Originally published on Latin Times Nuclear weapons Donald trump © Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Int'l Business Times
3 hours ago
- Int'l Business Times
Democrats Assail 'Erratic' Trump Over Iran Strikes
Democrats bristled Sunday over US President Donald Trump's decision to launch air strikes on Iran without seeking authorization from Congress, accusing the Republican of violating the constitution and demanding a vote to rein in his war powers. Members of the Senate and House of Representatives argued that US intelligence had not shown an imminent threat from the Middle Eastern country that justified Trump's unilateral action. "President Trump's actions in bombing Iran puts the US on the brink of a wider war in the Middle East, all without constitutionally required Congressional approval," Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin said in a statement. Democrats were divided between those demanding a vote on a war powers resolution to constrain Trump's authority to launch further action and a smaller group, who maintained that the strikes were grounds for the Republican leader's impeachment. They included Illinois moderate Sean Casten and New York leftist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who accused the president of having "impulsively risked launching a war that may ensnare us for generations." Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leaders in the Senate and House respectively, said Trump had "dramatically increased" America's risk of becoming embroiled in a new Middle Eastern conflagration. "No president should be allowed to unilaterally march this nation into something as consequential as war with erratic threats and no strategy," Schumer said. The Democrats have foreign policy hawks in their ranks and many were quick to point to the threat that a nuclear-armed Iran would pose --- while still upbraiding Trump for acting without consulting lawmakers. "The Constitution makes clear that the power to authorize war lies with Congress... The American people deserve more than vague rhetoric and unilateral decisions that could set off a wider war," said Mark Warner, vice chairman of the Senate intelligence committee. The loudest Democratic voice in support of the strikes was staunchly pro-Israel Senator John Fetterman, who singled out Trump for praise -- something even party colleagues who support the strikes have avoided. "As I've long maintained, this was the correct move by (Trump)," the Pennsylvania centrist posted on X. "Iran is the world's leading sponsor of terrorism and cannot have nuclear capabilities." Republicans have been lining up since the strikes to praise Trump and endorse his decision to hit three Iranian nuclear facilities -- with little dissent among the ranks. But Kentucky conservative Thomas Massie accused Trump of escalating the conflict between Israel and Iran. "When two countries are bombing each other daily in a hot war, and a third country joins the bombing, that's an act of war," said Massie, who introduced a bipartisan resolution earlier this month to require any military action to be approved by lawmakers. "I'm amazed at the mental gymnastics being undertaken by neocons in DC (and their social media bots) to say we aren't at war... so they can make war."
Int'l Business Times
4 hours ago
- Int'l Business Times
NATO Strikes Spending Deal, But Spain Exemption Claim Risks Trump Ire
NATO on Sunday signed off on a pledge to ramp up defence spending before its upcoming summit, but Madrid insisted it would not need to hit the five percent of GDP demanded by US President Donald Trump. The claim by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez sets up a potential clash with Trump, who has pressured allies to commit to that headline figure when they meet for the two-day gathering starting on Tuesday in The Hague. Spain had been the last holdout on a compromise deal that sees allies promise to reach 3.5 percent on core military needs over the next decade, and spend 1.5 percent on a looser category of "defence-related" expenditures such as infrastructure and cybersecurity. Multiple diplomats at NATO said the agreement -- set to be unveiled at the summit -- had gone through with the approval of all 32 nations and that there was no exemption for Madrid. But within minutes Sanchez came out saying he had struck an accord with NATO that would see his country keep respecting its commitments "without having to raise our defence spending to five percent of gross domestic product". "We understand the difficulty of the geopolitical context, fully respect the legitimate desire of other countries to increase their defence investment, if they so wish, but we are not going to do it," he said. NATO diplomats now fear that Spain's position could undermine its carefully choreographed show of unity with Trump in The Hague, which already risks being overshadowed by the US decision to strike Iran. "Not ok," one diplomat said, on condition of anonymity. Madrid's claims came after Sanchez on Thursday threw a last-minute grenade into preparations for the gathering in the Netherlands by taking a strong stand against the agreement. In a blistering letter to NATO chief Mark Rutte, Sanchez said that committing to a headline figure of five percent of GDP "would not only be unreasonable, but also counterproductive". That prompted a warning from Trump that "Spain has to pay what everybody else has to pay." "NATO is going to have to deal with Spain," he told reporters on Friday, calling the country "notorious" for spending less on defence than other alliance members. The outburst from Madrid's centre-left leader also sparked fury from other NATO members desperate to keep Trump -- who has threatened not to protect allies spending too little -- on their side. The pledge is seen as key both to satisfying Trump and helping NATO build up the forces it needs to deter Russia. After several days of wrangling involving Sanchez and Rutte, officials said Spain on Sunday signed off on the pledge. Diplomats said that language around the spending pledge in the summit's final declaration had been slightly softened from "we commit", to "allies commit". They insisted the fundamentals of the deal remained intact and that it applied to Spain. But government sources in Madrid said the linguistic tweak meant only those countries that opted-in were covered by the promise and that Rutte was set to send a letter to Sanchez saying that Spain will have "flexibility". Sanchez is facing a difficult balancing act of aligning with NATO allies and cajoling his junior coalition partner, the far-left alliance Sumar, which is hostile to increasing military spending. Spain has been one of the lowest-spending NATO countries on defence in relative terms. The country is only set to hit the alliance's current target of two percent this year after a 10-billion-euro ($11.5 billion) injection.
