We are talking about increasing expenses to 5% of their gross domestic product. Spain opposed. A few days before the Summit in The Hague, the country's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he did not see the point in this.
Spain is one of the NATO countries, which spends the least defense, because according to NATO estimates, in 2024 it spent 1.24% of GDP, or approximately € 17.2 billion on defense.
The next day, US President Donald Trump said that Spain should pay “as much as everyone else”, and Madrid is “sadly known” by low defense costs.
After the diplomats agreed on a compromise on Sunday, Sanchez said that Spain allegedly would not have to reach a targeted indicator of 5% for the fulfillment of NATO’s main military requirements, but only 2.1%.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte initially offered the countries of the North Atlantic Union to achieve the goal by 2032, but the deadline in the final document is 2035. Also in 2029 it should be revised.
Context
November 7, 2024, Rutte said that Trump prompts Europe to large defense costs.
On December 20, Financial Times wrote that after taking office as president in January 2025, Trump will probably put forward to members to increase defense costs to 5% of the gross domestic product (GDP).
January 22, 2025 Head of the European Defense Agency (EDA) Kai Callas The EU countries called on the increase in defense investments not only to prevent the war, but also to be prepared for it. Indeed, according to reconnaissance services, an aggressor country can attack Europe in three to five years. According to Kallas, Moscow spends almost five times more budget funds than Brussels. According to The European Commissioner for Defense Andryus Cubilyus, Russia will spend 40% of the federal defense and safety budget this year, which is 9% of GDP.
On February 1, then the US National Security Advisor Mike Walz said that Trump's administration will put pressure on NATO allies, who do not increase defense costs .
On May 15, US Secretary of State Mark Rubio said that before the Summit in June, NATO will agree to increase defense costs to 5% in 10 years.
