Spain’s Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo says rejecting NATO’s 5% GDP defense spending target will have no repercussions, affirming Spain’s commitment as a responsible ally open to reviewing spending if NATO updates its requirements.’’
00:00Meanwhile, Spain's Economy Minister Carlos Cuervo says the country expects no repercussions for rejecting NATO's proposed 5% GDP defense spending target.
00:10He said Spain remains a responsible ally and will review its spending if NATO updates its capability requirements.
00:18Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez stated the country would not exceed 2.1% of GDP in defense spending as its NATO obligations don't require more.
00:28The 5% target was largely driven by U.S. President Donald Trump.
00:33In response to Spain's refusal, Trump criticized Spain, the eurozone's fourth largest economy, as a very low payer, and said it has to pay what everybody else has to pay.
00:44Last year, Spain spent only 1.28% on military expenditure, making it the alliance's lowest spender.
00:51In April, Sanchez announced plans to raise defense spending to 2% this year, a move that drew pushback at home, including from some of his allies.
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