Trump says ‘Spain is a problem’ over disagreement on 5% NATO military spending increase

US President Donald Trump has found himself in dispute with Spain after a NATO meeting on military spending increase that Spain calls “unreasonable”

Allies involved in NATO, including the United States, Germany, and France, have signed up to this target, with Spain standing almost alone in its refusal. The Spanish government considers the 5% figure “unreasonable” and says it plans to meet its existing commitments with 2.1% of GDP instead.

“There’s a problem with Spain. Spain is not agreeing, which is very unfair to the rest of them, frankly,” US President Donald Trump said from Air Force One on his way to the NATO summit in The Hague.

The dispute focuses on NATO’s demand that member countries boost their defence spending to 5% of GDP, a significant rise from the current 2%. Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, and his government argue that it is more important to spend defence money wisely rather than simply spending more.

Trump said that Spain’s refusal to put 5% of its economic output toward military spending would prove costly, because he would take it out on the country in any trade deal it signs with the U.S.

Sources close to Sánchez say, “We oppose the absurd amount of spending [Trump] wants to impose on us,” adding that Spain’s position has already been agreed with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who supports flexibility for Spain to meet a lower target of 3.5% by 2029.

The US president doubled down on his criticism, posting on his Truth Social platform that “Spain threatens to derail the NATO summit,” highlighting Spain’s low military spending compared to the US’s nearly $1 trillion budget.

Spain responded by pointing out that Trump demands 5% from allies but has no intention of reaching that figure himself.

Countries closer to Russia’s border, such as Lithuania, have openly criticised Spain’s refusal to commit equally. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said, “We all have to have the same commitment, those of us closest to the Russian threat and those farther south, we all must do the same.”

Only Belgium and Slovakia have publicly backed Spain’s rejection of the 5% target so far. Meanwhile, Italy, despite heavy public debt, has committed to the 5% goal, leaving Spain isolated.

Spanish officials accuse France and Germany of pushing the increase not out of concern for Russia, but to boost their defence industries. “Everyone knows that 5% is not necessary, but only Spain is saying it clearly,” Spanish sources claim.

Most European leaders have avoided openly criticising Spain. However, Poland’s Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz warned that “making exceptions is detrimental to the unity of the Alliance.”

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, who joined NATO only last year, emphasised the need for increased spending to protect social welfare models from external threats. “It is wrong to say that we have to choose between spending money on defence or welfare,” he said. “If we want to protect the Nordic welfare model in our societies, we must also protect it in a literal, military sense.”