US EditionSpain Rejects NATO’s Anticipated 5% Defense Spending Proposal as 'Unreasonable'
- On June 19, 2025, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez sent a letter to NATO chief Mark Rutte rejecting the alliance's proposed 5% GDP defense spending target.
- Sánchez requested a more flexible option that either makes the 5% target optional or excludes Spain, citing economic constraints and coalition fragility.
- While Poland and Baltic states publicly committed to 5%, NATO allies aim to finalize spending plans ahead of the June 24-25 summit in The Hague amid concerns about Russia's threat.
- A senior European official commented, "It doesn't look good, indeed, but we are not over yet," referring to the ongoing discussion of Spain's stance.
- Spain's refusal to commit to 5% highlights divisions within NATO and suggests challenges ahead in achieving unanimous agreement on expanded defense investment.
122 Articles
122 Articles
Spain rejects NATO’s defence spending plan
Spain has requested an exemption from NATO’s plan to increase member countries’ defence spending to 5 per cent of their gross domestic product, a move that Reuters reported on Thursday could derail a summit at which the military alliance plans to sign an agreement committing to the target. Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, sent a letter to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg requesting… Source
'Unreasonable, counterproductive': Spain's Sánchez rejects push to increase Nato defence spending to 5%
Spanish PM Sánchez has told Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte that the proposed increase in the alliance’s defence spending target to 5% of GDP would be "not only unreasonable, but also counterproductive", according to a report
»Not only unreasonable, but counterproductive«: in a strong letter to the SPIEGEL, Spain is opposed to NATO's ambitious spending plans. Is the dispute over money escalating before the summit on Wednesday?
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