Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has said that Spain will meet the capability targets NATO members agreed upon at today’s summit.
Speaking at a press briefing at The Hague, Sanchez expressed that his country will comply with the agreed-upon capabilities “in a timely manner, as we have always done,” emphasizing that the country is “a serious nation that honors its commitments.”
However, he stressed that Spain is advancing with its national industrial and technological plan for security and defense, which targets reaching 2% of GDP in military spending by 2029.
“This investment is not only realistic and sufficient—it’s also compatible with our social model, the welfare state, and our international obligations.”
Pedro Sanchez
The Spanish Prime Minister stressed that his country’s position goes beyond percentages. “The key is not how much we spend, but what capabilities we bring to the table to meet the challenges we face as an alliance,” he noted.
The Defense Ministry and Spanish Armed Forces have determined that the 2.1% budget goal is aligned with the technical and human capabilities agreed upon within NATO.
Also, Sanchez emphasized Spain’s current role on NATO’s eastern flank, where nearly 3,000 Spanish troops are deployed.
He paid tribute to their work, saying their presence “proves the firm and constant nature of Spain’s commitment.”
He welcomed the flexibility that NATO’s final declaration provides to Spain in choosing its path to meet capability goals. “In today’s summit, NATO wins and Spain wins something very important for our society, which is security and the welfare state,” Sanchez said.
Sanchez’s remarks came after 32 member states of NATO committed to a significant increase in defense spending, pledging to allocate 5% of GDP annually by 2035 to meet both core defense requirements and broader security needs.
In a declaration issued at the end of the NATO Summit in The Hague, the alliance said that the investment aims to strengthen deterrence and defense capabilities amid growing security challenges, particularly the “long-term threat” posed by Russia and the persistent danger of terrorism.
The declaration read that allies commit to invest 5% of GDP annually on core defence requirements as well as defense-and security-related spending by 2035 “to ensure our individual and collective obligations, in accordance with Article 3 of the Washington Treaty.”
The 5% target includes two main components: at least 3.5% of GDP annually for core defense expenditures to meet NATO Capability Targets, and up to 1.5% of GDP for areas such as critical infrastructure protection, cybersecurity, civil resilience, innovation, and industrial capacity-building.
Two days before the summit, Sanchez announced that Spain had secured an opt-out from the 5% of GDP spending target that NATO allies agreed to at The Hague.
It said it would increase spending to 2%.
The move threatened the unity of the military alliance as leaders prepared to meet with US President, Donald Trump, who has pushed Europe to spend more on its defense and rebuked Spain for its low spending.
Trump Calls Spain’s Position Unfair To Other NATO Members
Speaking after the summit, US President, Donald Trump said that he doesn’t know what “the problem” with Spain, calling the country’s position unfair to other members of the NATO alliance. “They want a little bit of a free ride, but they’ll have to pay it back to us on trade,” he said, making up for it through higher tariffs.
However, Spain belongs to the European Union, the world’s largest trading bloc, which negotiates trade deals on behalf of all 27 member countries.
They are not meant to negotiate trade deals individually. Asked about that, Trump said, “I’m going to negotiate directly with Spain. I’m going to do it myself.”
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