Sánchez opposes NATO's 5% military spending alone and is heading toward a head-on clash with Trump.

Brussels / MadridPedro Sánchez raises the stakes against NATO and Donald Trump in the midst of the Spanish government's crisis over the Cerdán case. The Spanish president sent a letter this Thursday to the Secretary General of the NATO, Mark Rutte, in which he refuses to accept his request that all allies increase their military spending budget to 5% of their gross domestic product (GDP), an imposition that comes directly from the new Republican US administration. "Committing to 5% is unreasonable," the Socialist leader says in the text.

Thus, Spain is the only partner in the NATO alliance that opposes Rutte and Trump's demands, at least publicly. Even countries that are traditionally most opposed to increasing military spending, such as Belgium and Italy, have already declared their willingness to give in at the NATO summit to be held next week in The Hague, where the 5% increase in military spending is expected to be agreed upon.

In fact, although the Spanish government has consistently opposed the 5% target, Sánchez's letter takes a much harsher tone against pressure from Trump, with whom the Spanish president will meet in The Hague next week, and directly clashes with NATO's intentions to rearm in a Marxist manner. Sánchez even describes the spending increase as "counterproductive" and asserts that it "would cause an economic slowdown and inflationary pressures" that would ultimately negatively impact defense investments. Furthermore, he sees it as "incompatible" with Spain's "welfare state" and believes it is "impossible" to reach the 5% target "if taxes on the middle class are not raised and public services are not reduced." "We choose not to make these sacrifices," Sánchez emphasizes.

The White House says 5% is "fair enough"

Asked about Sánchez's letter, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that she "hasn't seen" Spain's comments, but noted that Trump wants all countries to reach 5% because it's "fair," given that the US has contributed a "significant amount" to NATO. "I'll let him [Trump] talk about it. But he has made his priorities for our European allies, including Spain, very clear," Leavitt concluded.

Until now, the Spanish government had consistently stated that, despite its opposition to the 5%, it would not veto a potential agreement at the NATO summit. "Spain does not veto", Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles stated at the last meeting of the Atlantic Alliance. However, in Thursday's text, Sánchez at no point suggests that the Moncloa will block the increase in military spending that Washington seeks to impose.

At this point, Spain is the ally that allocates the lowest percentage of GDP to defense and has not yet reached NATO's current minimum of 2%. Therefore, it would be one of the countries that should make the greatest efforts to meet Trump's demands. In this sense, the Council of Ministers approves week after week allocations for defense that do not need to be validated by the Congress of Deputies and that should allow the Spanish government to reach 2% of GDP for defense by 2025, as Sánchez has pledged to do. This Tuesday, an agreement was approved authorizing the use of the contingency fund in the amount of 9,830,000 euros for the Ministry of Defense. Defense Minister Margarita Robles also confirmed this Wednesday the arrival of U.S. bombers and tanker aircraft to Spanish bases amid the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.

However, it must be said that the wording of the military spending agreement NATO has on the table would mean that, in practice, the allies would not have to spend as much money as Trump would like. Thus, the expected GDP rate they would have to allocate to more traditional defense, such as tanks, missiles, and troops, would be 3.5%, and the remaining 1.5% could be accounted for by broader security concepts, such as the fight against terrorism and cyberattacks, or border control. Be that as it may, Trump would manage to leave the NATO summit with the 5% agreement in hand, as he has been demanding since his return to the White House.

Crisis over the Cerdán case

Sánchez's response to NATO comes at a time of crisis for the Spanish government, but especially for the PSOE, following the UCO report in which the former number three of the Socialists, Santos Cerdán, is singled out for his alleged involvement in a corruption scheme with José Luis Ábalos and Koldo García. Regarding this, Sánchez has suspended all sources. They suggest that the Spanish president has decided to focus on next week's NATO summit. Deputies are expected to give explanations. But this won't be until July 9, which has infuriated the parties that wanted the appearance to be immediate.