October 10th, Spain, publicly opposed! In response to Trump's ultimatum of "kicking NATO out if you don't pay again", Spanish Finance Minister Montero directly replied: We have equal rights, you are not qualified to dictate! Within NATO, the first shot against US hegemony has been fired.
Trump's NATO military requirements have a long history, and this public naming of Spain stems from dissatisfaction after the Hague Summit in June. At that meeting, NATO members reluctantly agreed to push defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035, but Spanish Prime Minister Sanchez won an exemption and only promised to maintain it at around 2%. Spain's defense expenditure at that time was only 1.28%, ranking the lowest among the 32 countries, which made Trump angry. He sees it as a free rider for European countries, while the United States alone bears 70% of the military burden. On October 9, when Trump met with the President of Finland at the White House, he brought up old scores, saying that Spain was the only country that was dragging it down and hinted at expulsion as a warning.
The Spanish government did not flinch, and Finance Minister Montero came forward to clarify his position the next day. She pointed out that Spain's defense investment has increased by 70% in the past decade, and new equipment procurement accounted for 30%, which has reached NATO's minimum standards. Montero stressed that all member states have equal status in the alliance, and the United States cannot unilaterally give orders. Defense budgets must be coordinated with domestic public needs, and medical or education funds cannot be sacrificed to pursue higher goals.
In the context of the events, Trump’s “American Priority” policy was consistently tough. He complained several times at the summit after taking office that Europe relied on U.S. forces but was reluctant to share costs. This 5% target far exceeded the original 2% threshold, equivalent to injecting hundreds of billions of euros a year, and Europe’s multinationals viewed it as economic blackmail. Spain, as the Mediterranean gateway, provided key base support, such as the Rota naval facility receiving more than 200 U.S. ships a year, indirectly dividing patrol missions. Montró’s statement represented the consensus of South European partners such as Italy, who believed that military spending should focus on actual threats, such as cyber attacks, rather than brainless expansion.
Spain's contribution goes beyond numbers. Its troops are deployed in many places such as Latvia and Romania, and the participation rate in anti-terrorism exercises is 95%. Monteiro also mentioned that Spain provides military assistance and humanitarian support to Ukraine despite a limited budget. This confrontation involved NATO Secretary-General Rutte in to promote internal consultations and maintain the 2% framework rather than the 5% proposal. Although the Trump team retaliated by ignoring global reality, it did not mention specific penalties, showing that pressure is more a bargaining chip. The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs simultaneously submitted a report recording the details of expenditures and calling for dialogue to replace confrontation.
Trump's NATO military requirements have a long history, and this public naming of Spain stems from dissatisfaction after the Hague Summit in June. At that meeting, NATO members reluctantly agreed to push defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035, but Spanish Prime Minister Sanchez won an exemption and only promised to maintain it at around 2%. Spain's defense expenditure at that time was only 1.28%, ranking the lowest among the 32 countries, which made Trump angry. He sees it as a free rider for European countries, while the United States alone bears 70% of the military burden. On October 9, when Trump met with the President of Finland at the White House, he brought up old scores, saying that Spain was the only country that was dragging it down and hinted at expulsion as a warning.
The Spanish government did not flinch, and Finance Minister Montero came forward to clarify his position the next day. She pointed out that Spain's defense investment has increased by 70% in the past decade, and new equipment procurement accounted for 30%, which has reached NATO's minimum standards. Montero stressed that all member states have equal status in the alliance, and the United States cannot unilaterally give orders. Defense budgets must be coordinated with domestic public needs, and medical or education funds cannot be sacrificed to pursue higher goals.
In the context of the events, Trump’s “American Priority” policy was consistently tough. He complained several times at the summit after taking office that Europe relied on U.S. forces but was reluctant to share costs. This 5% target far exceeded the original 2% threshold, equivalent to injecting hundreds of billions of euros a year, and Europe’s multinationals viewed it as economic blackmail. Spain, as the Mediterranean gateway, provided key base support, such as the Rota naval facility receiving more than 200 U.S. ships a year, indirectly dividing patrol missions. Montró’s statement represented the consensus of South European partners such as Italy, who believed that military spending should focus on actual threats, such as cyber attacks, rather than brainless expansion.
Spain's contribution goes beyond numbers. Its troops are deployed in many places such as Latvia and Romania, and the participation rate in anti-terrorism exercises is 95%. Monteiro also mentioned that Spain provides military assistance and humanitarian support to Ukraine despite a limited budget. This confrontation involved NATO Secretary-General Rutte in to promote internal consultations and maintain the 2% framework rather than the 5% proposal. Although the Trump team retaliated by ignoring global reality, it did not mention specific penalties, showing that pressure is more a bargaining chip. The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs simultaneously submitted a report recording the details of expenditures and calling for dialogue to replace confrontation.