Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles said yesterday that her country was fully committed to NATO, a day after Madrid asked to be exempted from a proposed increase in defense spending to five percent of gross domestic product (GDP).
“Spain and its armed forces are a serious, reliable and responsible ally, absolutely committed to the European Union and the Atlantic Alliance,” Robles said in Madrid. “No one can question that.”
Her statement followed a letter sent by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Thursday that could jeopardize a summit at which the alliance plans to ask members to commit to the five percent target.
In that letter, Sanchez requested a “more flexible formula” that would make the spending target non-binding or exempt Spain from its application.
He said Spain had no intention of obstructing the outcome of next week's NATO summit. However, any agreement to increase defense spending, in response to US President Donald Trump's request, would require unanimous approval from all 32 members.
"Committing to a five percent target would not only be unreasonable, but also counterproductive, as it would move Spain away from optimal allocations and complicate the EU's ongoing efforts to strengthen its security and defense system," Sanchez wrote.
Leaders of the transatlantic military alliance are due to meet in The Hague on June 24-25 amid uncertainty over Washington's commitment to European defense. Trump has threatened to withhold protection from allies that do not spend five percent of their GDP on defense.
The president of Latvia expressed confidence that NATO will reach an agreement on a new spending target, saying the alliance does not have much choice given the growing threat from Russia.
"I sincerely hope that there is an understanding in Madrid that this is a critical period for the Alliance, both in terms of (increasing) defense capabilities and transatlantic relations," Edgars Rinkėvičs said in an interview with Reuters.
At 1,28 percent of GDP, Spain had the lowest defense spending rate among NATO members last year, according to the alliance's estimates. Sanchez agreed in April to accelerate efforts to reach NATO's current target of two percent this year.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said his country supports Rutte's proposal for a five percent defense budget.
Store explained at a press conference that this target is divided into 3,5 percent for “classical defense,” including personnel, investments, combat readiness and support to Ukraine, while the remaining 1,5 percent goes to “defense-related spending,” which includes operational and industrial measures.
He stated that this second category could include expenditures for the protection and development of critical infrastructure, countering hybrid threats, including digital attacks and disinformation, among other things.
He added that Norway currently spends 3,2 percent of its GDP on defense, including aid to Ukraine. According to NATO's latest estimates for 2024, Norway allocates 2,2 percent.
The Prime Minister added that some details of the target, including the deadline by which countries should meet it, are still being actively negotiated and that a decision will be made next week.
Store repeated the warning that Norway is facing the most serious security situation since World War II, also pointing to new risks arising from the crisis in the Middle East.
Asked to comment on the Spanish Prime Minister's statements, Store suggested that "work is being done to find consensus within the alliance."
"Russia an existential risk for Germany and Europe"
Meanwhile, a new strategic document from the German military, as published by Der Spiegel magazine, warns that Russia poses an "existential risk" to Germany and Europe.
The confidential document warns that the Kremlin is aligning both its industrial and management structures "specifically to meet the requirements for a large-scale conflict against NATO by the end of this decade," Reuters reported.
According to the document, Russia is making careful preparations for a conflict with NATO, particularly by strengthening its forces in western Russia, "on the borders with NATO."
As early as next year, Russia could have around 1,5 million active soldiers, the document states.
Germany can only counter this threat through "the consistent development of military and social capacities," the document concludes.
Military personnel and experts have been preparing this strategic document over the past 18 months to serve as a guideline for the future direction of the German armed forces, Der Spiegel writes.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz recently supported Trump's demand to increase NATO's military spending target to five percent of GDP, a major change made possible by a historic easing of Berlin's constitutional debt limit.
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