Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Russian Ministry of Defense: 37 Ukrainian drones destroyed in 4 hours over regions of Russia and the Black Sea.
Sheikh Qassem: Our supporters make up more than half of Lebanon's population, and all of these people are united under the banner of protecting Lebanon, its Resistance, its people, and its integrity.
Sheikh Qassem: There will be no phased handing in of our arms. [The Israelis] must first enact the agreement before we start talking about a defensive strategy.
Sheikh Qassem: Be brave in the face of foreign pressures, and we will be by your side in this stance.
Sheikh Qassem: Stripping us of our arms is like stripping us of our very soul, and this will prompt us to show them our might.
Sheikh Qassem: We will not abandon our arms, for they gave us dignity; we will not abandon our arms, for they protect us against our enemy.
Sheikh Qassem: The US efforts we are seeing are aimed at sabotaging Lebanon and constitute a call for sedition.
Sheikh Qassem: If you truly want to establish sovereignty and work for Lebanon’s interests, then stop the aggression.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States, which is meddling in Lebanon, is not trustworthy but rather poses a danger to it.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States is preventing the weapons that protect the homeland.

Spain remains outlier as NATO pushes for 5% defense spending goal

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: News websites
  • 24 May 2025 14:49
4 Min Read

Some see Madrid’s stance as a threat to the military alliance's unity.

Listen
  • x
  • Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez arrives at Baghdad airport ahead of the 34th Arab League summit, in Baghdad, Iraq on May 16, 2025. (AP)
    Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez arrives at Baghdad airport ahead of the 34th Arab League summit, in Baghdad, Iraq, on May 16, 2025 (AP)

Spain's NATO defense spending remains a contentious issue as Madrid continues to resist a proposed NATO commitment to allocate 5% of GDP to defense by 2032. The benchmark, backed by US President Donald Trump, is being framed as a test of transatlantic solidarity ahead of pivotal alliance meetings in Brussels and The Hague.

According to four officials involved in NATO summit preparations, Spain is the only major holdout on the NATO 5% GDP defense target, raising concerns that its reluctance could disrupt a unified front when defence ministers meet in Brussels on June 5. NATO leadership aims to present full consensus at the subsequent leaders’ summit in The Hague on June 24.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed he urged Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares to endorse the target. “We are asking our allies to invest in their defence like they mean it,” said US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker earlier this month.

Rubio, Trump urge allies to increase military budgets

President Trump has warned NATO partners that failure to meet the 5% threshold could endanger US security guarantees. Rubio echoed this stance during his Washington meeting with Albares, part of growing Rubio-Spain defense talks aimed at closing the gap between US expectations and Spain’s current position.

Albares acknowledged the exchange but maintained a cautious tone, “There was an exchange, and both of us expressed our views very clearly. I insisted that it was a huge effort to reach two per cent, and that the debate right now needs to focus on capabilities.”

Related News

Tom Barrack's imperial tantrum in Beirut: When entitlement speaks

US pledges intel role in Kiev’s post-war security framework

On his part, Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles reiterated Madrid’s position during recent NATO discussions. “We understand that the important thing is not so much talking about specific percentages, but rather developing capabilities and fulfilling missions,” she said.

Spain argues that its contributions to NATO, EU, and UN missions are not fully reflected in standard defense spending figures, a view that has often placed it at odds with allies emphasising GDP-based metrics.

Spain’s defense spending trails NATO peers

Spain only recently announced plans to meet NATO’s longstanding 2% target, a commitment Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez had previously pledged to fulfill by 2029. Instead, in a move seen as a response to rising pressure, Sanchez confirmed that Spain would reach the target in 2024 and unveiled a €10 billion military investment initiative. This shift reflects growing scrutiny of the Spain military budget in 2024 but still falls short of NATO’s new ambition.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has proposed that member states allocate 3.5% of GDP to core defense spending, with an additional 1.5% earmarked for related sectors like cyber defense and military infrastructure. While no NATO country currently meets the 5% threshold, officials stress that the 3.5% benchmark is the immediate focus.

Spain’s political, cultural context stand as obstacles

Analysts say Spain’s political and cultural context presents hurdles. “As a country, we come from a tradition that is more pacifist and anti-militarist,” said Bernardo Navazo, director of Madrid-based Geopolitical Insights. He added that while the government acknowledges the need to exceed 2%, building domestic support for 5% will take time.

“For countries like Spain and Italy, it will be very difficult to get their populations to back 5 per cent in a context where people perceive no imminent threat,” Navazo said, despite European concerns over Russia’s regional posture.

If Spain does sign on, NATO ministers are expected to finalize technical details and interim benchmarks during the June meeting. Until then, Madrid’s position continues to shape the broader European defence spending debate and could determine whether NATO presents a unified vision of collective investment and deterrence.

Read more: EU military spending hits critical economic limit, Russia warns

  • United States
  • spending bill
  • Nato
  • Spain
  • defence spending

Most Read

Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, executive director of the defense division of the Israeli National Cyber Directorate, undated (Social media)

Israeli-born US prosecutor drops Israeli officer child sex crime

  • Politics
  • 19 Aug 2025
Almost instantly after the Helsinki Accords were signed, organisations sprouted to document purported violations, whose findings were fed to overseas embassies for international amplification. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

How ‘Human Rights’ became a Western weapon

  • Opinion
  • 23 Aug 2025
Israeli soldiers stand on the top of armoured vehicles parked on an area near the Israeli-Gaza border, as seen from southern Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025 (AP)

Palestinian fighters target Israeli soldiers, vehicles in Gaza

  • Politics
  • 21 Aug 2025
Launch of a ballistic missile from Yemen toward the occupied Palestinian territories. (YAF military media)

Yemeni Forces announce firing hypersonic missile at Al-Lydd Airport

  • Politics
  • 22 Aug 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference at the Prime minister's office in al-Quds, Occupied Palestine, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Netanyahu deliberately derailing truce with Gaza occupation: Hamas

Irish President Michael Higgins arrives to deliver his speech during a 42nd World Food Day celebration at FAO headquarters in Rome, on Oct. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Politics

Irish president renews call for UN military intervention in Gaza

US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the US Embassy in Aukar, northern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, July 21, 2025 (AP)
Politics

US envoy, Netanyahu discuss restraining attacks on Lebanon, withdrawal

Smoke billows following Israeli airstrikes in multiple areas in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Ansar Allah vow sustained Gaza support despite Israeli strikes

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS