US President Donald Trump has suggested that NATO countries consider expelling Spain from the alliance if it does not increase its defense budget, Politico reports.
Meeting with Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Trump said that there is one scoundrel in the alliance, and that is Spain. Europeans should ask Spain why it is holding back. “They are doing well, partly because of the things we have done. They are doing well. They have no excuse for doing it, but so be it. Honestly, maybe you should kick them out of NATO,” Trump mused.
In June, NATO members agreed to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP. Of that, 3.5% is earmarked for direct military spending and 1.5% for broader investments in national security.
Spain was the only one that refused to commit to increasing defense spending.
Trump praised Finland for increasing its defense budget, largely in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He told Stubbs that Finland, unlike Spain, has done a great job. The US president added that he thinks others should start pointing fingers at Spain.
According to NATO, Spain is one of the alliance’s lowest-spending countries, spending 1.2% of its GDP on defense. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has insisted that his country needs to spend 2.1% of its GDP to meet its goals.
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