Official Madrid has reacted to the statement made by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who suggested the idea of excluding Spain from NATO due to insufficient defense spending. According to information, the Spanish government confirmed the country’s commitment to the North Atlantic Alliance and emphasized that Spain is fulfilling its obligations on par with the United States.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Trump’s Statement During Meeting with the President of Finland
Recently, Donald Trump, during a bilateral meeting with Finnish President Alexander Stubb, stated the need to address Spain’s defense spending. He proposed considering the issue of excluding Spain from the Alliance if the country does not increase its defense expenditures to the specified standards.
“You need to start talking to Spain. You should call them and find out why they are so far behind. They have no excuse for not doing this, but that’s okay. Maybe you should outright kick them out of NATO,” Trump said during the bilateral meeting with Finnish President Alexander Stubb.
Spain’s Position and Recent Data on Defense Spending
So far, NATO’s official position regarding Trump’s remarks has not been voiced. Meanwhile, the Spanish government has emphasized the country’s fulfillment of its obligations within the Alliance, highlighting Spain’s status as a full-fledged and dedicated member of the organization.
At the NATO summit held in June, the leaders of the participating countries reaffirmed in the Hague Declaration their intention to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP. However, according to Alliance data, Spain remains among the countries with the lowest defense spending. In 2023, this figure did not exceed 1.2% of GDP, and in 2025 it is expected to be at 2%.