Trump Threatens Tariffs on Spain Over Refusal to Boost NATO Defense Spending
President Donald Trump has threatened trade penalties against Spain due to its failure to increase defense spending to 5 percent of GDP, raising concerns within the NATO alliance.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump expressed his discontent with Spain for not raising its defense spending to 5 percent of its GDP. Speaking at the White House, Trump stated that he is considering imposing trade penalties, including tariffs, on Spain due to their decision.
This move by Spain has been perceived as disrespectful towards NATO, according to Trump.Trump has consistently pushed NATO member countries to increase their defense spending and has questioned Washington's commitment to aiding those members who do not meet this requirement.
Last week, during a meeting with Finland's president, Trump suggested that NATO should consider expelling Spain from the alliance due to its refusal to agree to the new spending commitment.The decision by NATO members to raise their spending commitments stems from concerns over the significant threat posed by Russia since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
While previously committed to spending 2 percent of their GDP on defense, many argue that this amount is no longer sufficient given the current security landscape.Spain was the only NATO member not to commit to increasing military spending to 5 percent of its GDP. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez secured an exemption at the time, stating that Spain would only spend up to 2.1 percent, which he considered sufficient and realistic.
Madrid has argued that it compensates for lower spending by providing strong troop contributions to NATO missions, including deployments in Latvia, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey.
This move by Spain has been perceived as disrespectful towards NATO, according to Trump.Trump has consistently pushed NATO member countries to increase their defense spending and has questioned Washington's commitment to aiding those members who do not meet this requirement.
Last week, during a meeting with Finland's president, Trump suggested that NATO should consider expelling Spain from the alliance due to its refusal to agree to the new spending commitment.The decision by NATO members to raise their spending commitments stems from concerns over the significant threat posed by Russia since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
While previously committed to spending 2 percent of their GDP on defense, many argue that this amount is no longer sufficient given the current security landscape.Spain was the only NATO member not to commit to increasing military spending to 5 percent of its GDP. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez secured an exemption at the time, stating that Spain would only spend up to 2.1 percent, which he considered sufficient and realistic.
Madrid has argued that it compensates for lower spending by providing strong troop contributions to NATO missions, including deployments in Latvia, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey.
