US EditionTrump Floats Dropping Spain From NATO Alliance
Trump called Spain a laggard in military spending and suggested NATO consider expulsion over failure to meet the 5% GDP defense spending target agreed by most members.
- During a White House meeting, President Donald Trump said NATO should consider ejecting Spain on Thursday during talks with Finnish President Alexander Stubb.
- Rising tension stems from the alliance's June spending pledge as NATO agreed to raise defense spending to 5% of gross domestic product while Spain, led by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, secured an exemption to remain near 2 percent.
- Citing the spending gap, President Donald Trump urged allied leaders to press Spain, calling it a laggard and saying, `I requested that they pay 5 percent, not 2 percent`.
- No member has ever been expelled from NATO, highlighting the gravity of Trump's suggestion, who previously threatened tariffs and economic pressure on Spain.
- Amid broader NATO pressure, the 5% defense target has become a focal point as President Donald Trump emphasized Spain's role as the June summit holdout resisting the spending goal.
123 Articles
123 Articles
Trump: Expel Spain from NATO for Poor Defense Investment
U.S. president Donald Trump suggested on Thursday, October 9th, that Spain be expelled from NATO over its failure to meet the higher defense spending target agreed under his leadership. “We had one laggard, it was Spain,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office: They have no excuse not to do this, but that’s all right. Maybe you should throw them out of NATO, frankly. In June, the 32-nation North Atlantic Treaty Organization agreed to signific…
Trump suggests Spain should be 'thrown out' of NATO
The US president’s clash with Spain began in June ahead of the NATO summit, where just days before leaders convened in The Hague, Spain announced that it would not comply with Trump’s demands of raising defence spending to 5% of GDP.
At a joint press conference with the Finnish president, he spoke about protecting the Finns in the event of a Russian attack.
Politico Europe
einnews.comTrump suggests booting ‘laggard’ Spain from NATO over defense spending
The U.S. president demanded that alliance members allocate 5 percent of GDP to defense spending. Spain was the only country to refuse to commit to the benchmark.
Spain is the only country in NATO that does not share the new spending target of the defence alliance. US President Trump is still visibly upset.
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