The United States softens its stance against Spain over military spending: "It is making great progress"

BrusselsThe United States softens its rhetoric against Spain over military spending. After the constant threats from Donald Trump In response to criticism of Pedro Sánchez for refusing to meet the target of allocating 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) to defense, the US ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, told reporters that after meeting with his Spanish counterpart on Tuesday morning, he "confirmed that Spain is being pressured to spend 5 percent of its GDP on defense." However, the Trump administration remains skeptical that Spain will ultimately meet the military capability targets agreed upon at last year's NATO summit in The Hague and spend less money than other allies. "If you can do it cheaper, fantastic. But we don't think it's possible." "And, if possible, please explain how to do it," the US diplomat quipped. In fact, although Whitaker has assured that Spain is on the right track in the "short term," the complications in meeting the series of military capability objectives may arise in the long term. The State has increased defense spending at breakneck speed in recent months, reaching 2%. And, for this reason, the US claims it is doing its job. However, as it has to further increase military power, but continues to allocate only 2% or 2.1%, as Sánchez promises, that is when it will have to perform even more acrobatics to achieve the committed objectives.

The contradictions between Sánchez and NATO: Will Spain pay the 5% military spending now that there is an agreement?

It's not the first time the US ambassador to NATO has expressed doubt that Spain can meet the organization's requirements if it doesn't reach 5% of its GDP in military spending. In fact, several European leaders have spoken out in this regard and criticized the Spanish government for not committing to them, unlike the other allies. Trump even threatened to raise tariffs on Spain because Sánchez was the only leader of the Atlantic Alliance partners who didn't give in to the US president's demand.

Thus, the Spanish prime minister maintains that Spain will already reach NATO's military capabilities target by allocating only 2.1% of its GDP to defense. However, it's important to remember that of the 5% Trump demanded, only 3.5% should be allocated to what is considered traditional military spending, such as soldiers, tanks, or missiles. In contrast, the remaining 1.5% should be dedicated to border control or cybersecurity, areas in which Spain claims it already spends more than the vast majority of its NATO allies.