NATO leaders are expected to increase defense spending, but not applicable to all countries –
NATO leaders are expected to agree this week that member states should use 5% of their GDP for national defense unless new and many conceited investment commitments will not apply to everyone.
Spain has reached a deal with NATO to exclude five percent of GDP spending targets, and President Donald Trump said the number should not apply to the United States, but to allies only.
When announcing Spain's decision on Sunday, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the language of spending vows in the final summit communiqué of NATO (a small portion of about six paragraphs) no longer refers to “all allies.”
It raises questions about the insistence of other members of the alliance, such as Belgium, Canada, France and Italy, which also raises questions about the need to increase security spending by billions of dollars.
On Friday, Trump insisted that the United States has been allied for many years and now they must step up their efforts. “I don't think we should, but I think we should do that,” he said. “NATO will have to deal with Spain.”
Trump also branded Canada as a “low wage.”
NATO's new spending targets
The five percent target consists of two parts. Allies will agree to hike pure defense spending to 3.5% of GDP, up from the current target of at least 2%, which is 22 of 32 countries. The money spent on arming Ukraine is also important.
Another 1.5% will include escalating roads, bridges, ports and airfields so that the military can be better deployed, develop measures to resist cyber and hybrid attacks, and prepare for future conflicts.
For most countries, including Spain, a second spending basket is easy. It can include many. However, 3.5% of core spending is a huge challenge.
According to NATO estimates, Spain spent 1.28% of its GDP on its military budget last year, making it the lowest stock in the league. Sanchez said Spain will be able to respect its commitment to NATO by spending 2.1% of GDP on defense demand.
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The Kiel Institute said Spain is also one of Europe's smallest arms and ammunition suppliers. Since the invasion in 2022, it has been estimated that it has sent about 800,000 euros ($920,000) in military aid.
Apart from Spain's economic challenges, Sanchez has other problems. He relies on small parties to rule and corruption scandals, which put his inner circle and family in trouble. He is under increasing pressure to hold early elections.
Why need to increase expenditure
There are good reasons to increase expenditure.
Europeans believe that Russia's war against Ukraine poses an existential threat to them. Moscow has been accused of a significant increase in incidents of sabotage, cyberattacks and GPS obstacles. European leaders are inviting their citizens to have more possibilities.
NATO experts say the alliance needs at least three percent investment in defending plans for attacks on Russian attacks in Europe and North America. All 32 allies recognized these. Each country is assigned a “capacity goal” to play its role.
“The debate must be the original percentage, but rather revolve around capability,” Spanish Foreign Minister José Albares said on Monday. Spain “can master the ability that the organization has determined at 2.1%.
The countries of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine all agreed to meet the target, as well as nearby Germany, Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands, which will start a two-day summit on Tuesday.
The Netherlands estimates that NATO's defense plan will force it to invest at least 3.5% of its core defense spending. This means finding another 16 billion to 19 billion euros ($18 billion to $22 billion).
It is not enough to agree to spend more money. Many allies have not achieved earlier goals after Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula. Therefore incentives are needed.
The 2032 date has been used as the deadline. This is much shorter than previous NATO targets, but military planners estimate Russian forces will be able to launch attacks on allies within five to ten years.
The United States insists that this cannot be an open-ended commitment, and that a decade is too long. Despite this, Italy said it hopes to reach its 5% target.
The possibility of extending the period to 2035 is also debated among NATO envoys. NATO diplomats say formal reviews can also be conducted in 2029.
–Madrid's Suman Naishadham contributed to the report.
& Copy 2025 Canadian Press
