Dispute over NATO defense spending as Trump demands increase
At a NATO summit, an open dispute has emerged over defense spending, with US President Donald Trump pushing for European leaders to double their security budgets. Most NATO members have agreed to aim for 5% of GDP, but Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has refused, citing concerns about raising taxes or cutting welfare. The disagreement highlights deep objections to Trump within the alliance.
London: An open dispute over defence spending has highlighted the deep objections to Donald Trump at a NATO summit where the US president expects European leaders to more than double their security budgets.
A deal has been struck to commit most NATO members to the ambitious new target – 5 per cent of GDP – but Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has refused to back the goal when most countries spend 2 per cent today.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has refused to back the NATO defence spending goal. Credit: AP
“Going from 2 per cent to 5 per cent would force us to cross our red lines, would force us to either have to drastically raise taxes on the middle class, or severely cut the size of our welfare state,” he said.
Sanchez, who is under severe domestic pressure due to a corruption scandal, claimed a carveout from the NATO agreement to achieve the higher target, only to have the Western military alliance’s leadership dispute his claims.
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