Trump Says Spain May Join NATO's 5% Defence Spending Push

Trump says Spain may join NATO's 5% defence spending push

Ankara, July 9

Speaking at a NATO news conference, Trump indicated that Spain, which had earlier resisted the higher spending target, may also be moving towards supporting the proposal after he repeatedly criticised European allies over defence spending.

During the news conference, Trump said that "most countries have agreed to it".

"We have a couple of that didn't. But I have a feeling they're going to and pretty quickly; in fact, today they were very positive. One of them in particular was, I didn't think a good team player; today was a great team player," he said.

According to CNN, Spain is the only NATO member that has declined to commit to the alliance's proposed 5 per cent defence spending target, securing an exemption to limit its military expenditure to 2.1 per cent of its GDP instead of the 5 per cent target that other allies aim to achieve by 2035. Spain is also among the lowest spenders in NATO in terms of defence expenditure as a share of GDP.

Responding to a question about the lack of support from Spain, the United Kingdom and Italy during the war with Iran, Trump said, "Well, I'll tell you what, number one, Spain has been very bad. But, you know, Italy has been good, and almost all of the countries have been good. They just had a bad moment," CNN reported.

Trump's remarks come amid continuing tensions with Spain over NATO defence spending. Earlier on Wednesday, Spain downplayed Trump's criticism and his call to halt trade with the country, saying Madrid "enjoys excellent" bilateral ties with the United States and had no intention of allowing the comments to affect the longstanding relationship between the two countries.

"Our country enjoys excellent social, cultural, and economic relations with the US, and it is not our intention for that to change," the Spanish Prime Minister's Office said in a statement, as quoted by Al Jazeera.

The response came after Trump described Spain as a "wasted cause" and a "terrible partner" in NATO, accusing Madrid of failing to contribute adequately to the alliance's defence spending.

Trump has repeatedly criticised European allies over defence spending, with Spain being a frequent target of his remarks.

— ANI