NATO's Big Spend: Spain Says No to Trump's Defense Boost

Spain has thrown a wrench into NATO's plans by refusing to boost its defense spending to 5% of its GDP. This decision comes just days before a crucial NATO summit in the Netherlands, where U. S. President Trump has been pushing for this significant increase. Spain's Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, has some valid points. He argues that such a sharp rise in spending would be impractical and could even harm Spain's economy. He also points out that it could disrupt the European Union's efforts to strengthen its own security and defense systems. Spain isn't the only country struggling with this idea. Belgium, Canada, France, and Italy would also find it challenging to suddenly increase their defense budgets by billions. But Spain is the first to publicly reject the proposal, making it difficult for them to back down now. Sánchez has his own problems to deal with. His government is shaky, with small parties propping him up, and corruption scandals swirling around his inner circle. He's facing pressure to call an early election, which could make this defense spending debate even more complicated. The 5% spending goal is a big deal. It would mean all 32 NATO countries spending the same amount on defense for the first time. But the details are fuzzy. The 5% is split into two parts: 3. 5% for pure defense spending and 1. 5% for upgrading infrastructure and preparing for future attacks. Countries near Russia, like Germany, Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands, have agreed to the target. But for others, like Spain, it's a tough sell. They're already struggling to meet the current 2% target, let alone a new 5% one. The U. S. and France were supposed to update reporters on the latest developments, but they postponed their briefings. NATO's top civilian official was also supposed to present a new proposal to break the deadlock, but that's on hold too. The deadline for this spending hike is 2032, which is a short time frame for many countries. Military planners estimate that Russian forces could be ready to attack an ally within 5-10 years, so NATO needs to act fast. The U. S. sees China as a threat, but for Europe, Russia's war on Ukraine is the main concern. European leaders are preparing their citizens for more sabotage, cyberattacks, and GPS jamming incidents, all blamed on Moscow. Raising the billions needed for this defense boost won't be easy. Countries will have to increase taxes, go into debt, or shift money from other budgets. And Trump's global tariff war isn't helping, making it even harder for allies to meet this new spending target.