Spain Opposes Increasing Defense Spending within NATO: Official Position and Possible Consequences
In the context of new discussions regarding the financial contributions of NATO member countries, Spain has taken a clear stance against plans to raise the target defense expenditure level. According to information released by "European Pravda," citing Bloomberg agency, the Spanish government intends to officially express its disagreement with NATO's proposal to raise the minimum defense spending to 5% of the country's GDP. According to an official spokesperson of the Spanish government, the country considers it neither appropriate nor justified to increase this indicator above the current level of 2%, which is enshrined in national defense expenditure policies. At the same time, he emphasized that Madrid is actively preparing a response to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg's initiative to sit down with member countries to agree on new targets. The spokesperson added that Spain will do everything possible to block this proposal at the NATO summit scheduled for next week in The Hague. In case persistent attempts are made to change the position, Spain intends to oppose any decision that involves increasing the country's defense spending. It should be recalled that earlier, Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles emphasized that her country remains committed to allocating up to 2% of GDP to defense, confirming that this goal is a strategic guideline for planning the national defense budget. At the same time, during negotiations, she noted that Spain does not plan to veto NATO's decision to increase the target expenditure level if it is adopted at the summit. This underscores a high level of caution and a desire for a diplomatic solution in the conflict situation. Meanwhile, on the international political arena, the United States expresses confidence that most NATO members will meet the demand of U.S. President Donald Trump to increase defense expenditures to 5% of GDP. U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stated that negotiations regarding this initiative are ongoing, and most member countries are likely to support this requirement to strengthen the alliance’s collective defense ahead of new challenges. Amidst this international discussion, it is particularly important to consider internally and externally driven political factors that determine the sustainability of Spain’s defense policy. This conflict of interests could affect not only the formation of NATO’s budget but also the integrity of the Alliance in ensuring collective security, as well as potentially heightening tensions between member countries with different approaches to co-financing defense. Overall, in the coming weeks, further developments are expected around this topic, as all parties seek a compromise solution during the process of adopting new rules for NATO defense funding. At the same time, Ukrainian and European analysts note that questions of sovereignty and financial responsibility remain key in discussions about NATO’s future and its ability to adapt to current global challenges.