NATO Strikes Spending Deal, but Spain's Exemption Claim Risks Trump's Ire
Madrid insists it will not meet the five percent of GDP demanded by US President Donald Trump.
BRUSSELS, Belgium: NATO on Sunday signed off on a pledge to ramp up defense spending before its upcoming summit.
However, Madrid insisted that it would not need to hit the five percent of GDP demanded by US President Donald Trump.
The claim by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez sets up a potential clash with Trump, who has pressured allies to commit to that headline figure when they meet for the two-day gathering starting on Tuesday in The Hague.
Spain had been the last holdout on a compromise deal that sees allies promise to reach 3.5 percent on core military needs over the next decade and spend 1.5 percent on a looser category of 'defense-related' expenditures such as infrastructure and cybersecurity.
NATO diplomats now fear that Spain's position could undermine its carefully choreographed show of unity with Trump in The Hague, which already risks being overshadowed by the US decision to strike Iran.
Madrid's claims came after Sanchez took a strong stand against the agreement, stating that committing to a headline figure of five percent of GDP would be unreasonable and counterproductive.
This prompted a warning from Trump that Spain has to pay what everybody else has to pay.
The pledge is seen as key both to satisfying Trump and helping NATO build up the forces it needs to deter Russia.
After several days of wrangling involving Sanchez and Rutte, officials said Spain on Sunday signed off on the pledge.
However, government sources in Madrid claimed that there was a linguistic tweak in the summit's final declaration, which meant only those countries that opted-in were covered by the promise.
However, Madrid insisted that it would not need to hit the five percent of GDP demanded by US President Donald Trump.
The claim by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez sets up a potential clash with Trump, who has pressured allies to commit to that headline figure when they meet for the two-day gathering starting on Tuesday in The Hague.
Spain had been the last holdout on a compromise deal that sees allies promise to reach 3.5 percent on core military needs over the next decade and spend 1.5 percent on a looser category of 'defense-related' expenditures such as infrastructure and cybersecurity.
NATO diplomats now fear that Spain's position could undermine its carefully choreographed show of unity with Trump in The Hague, which already risks being overshadowed by the US decision to strike Iran.
Madrid's claims came after Sanchez took a strong stand against the agreement, stating that committing to a headline figure of five percent of GDP would be unreasonable and counterproductive.
This prompted a warning from Trump that Spain has to pay what everybody else has to pay.
The pledge is seen as key both to satisfying Trump and helping NATO build up the forces it needs to deter Russia.
After several days of wrangling involving Sanchez and Rutte, officials said Spain on Sunday signed off on the pledge.
However, government sources in Madrid claimed that there was a linguistic tweak in the summit's final declaration, which meant only those countries that opted-in were covered by the promise.