As U.S. President Donald Trump demands a large increase in defense spending by NATO allies, the spotlight has fallen on Spain, which spends the least on defense of all member states relative to the size of its economy.
Spain is the eurozone’s fourth-biggest economy. The country spent an estimated $21.3 billion on defense last year, equating to 1.28% of its gross domestic product (GDP), putting it at the bottom of the league among the 32-nation Atlantic alliance.
That’s despite a pledge made by all NATO members in 2014 to spend at least 2% of GDP on defense, according to the bloc.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte visited Madrid and Lisbon earlier this week and warned all members of the need to boost spending beyond existing targets.
“The goal of 2%, now set a decade ago, will not be enough to meet the challenges of tomorrow. The threat from Russia may seem distant, but let me assure you, it is not,” Rutte said at a press conference in Lisbon on Jan. 27.
“NATO is strong today. To keep NATO strong we must, however, continue to adapt. And to guarantee our security in the future, we also need to ramp up our efforts now. It also means we need to spend more in our defense,” he said.
Only 23 of the 32 NATO member states were expected to meet the 2% target by 2024, according to the alliance.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has rejected criticism that his government has been too slow to boost defense spending.
In a statement, the prime minister’s office said Monday that Spain was a “serious, responsible and committed ally of NATO,” noting that the government had increased defense spending by 70% in the last decade.
“Spain’s commitment to reach 2% of defense spending by 2029 is firm,” the statement said.
Spanish troops are also helping to train Ukrainian forces as Kyiv battles Russia’s invasion.
Trump criticism
That’s unlikely to be enough to satisfy NATO’s biggest spender, the United States, which spent 3.38% of its GDP on defense in 2024.
Earlier in January, Trump described Spain’s contribution to NATO as “very low” and has demanded a much higher spending target from European allies.
“I’m also going to ask all NATO nations to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP, which is what it should have been years ago,” Trump told delegates by video link at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Jan. 23.
Trump has long complained that European allies are taking advantage of the United States, insisting that they should share the burden of defense spending.
However, the 5% target is unrealistic for Spain, according to analyst Pere Ortega of the Delas Center for Peace Studies in Madrid.
“Reaching 5% is impossible. That would mean that Spain would have to spend almost 65 billion euros [$67.7 billion]. That is impossible, because we do not have that economic capacity,” Ortega told VOA.
“No political program would ask for an increase in military spending to reach 3, 4 or 5% … because that would be in some way making sacrifices in the social security sphere. And the Spanish population would penalize that with their vote at the polls,” Ortega added.
Lithuania boost
Trump does have some support in Europe. Lithuania plans to raise defense spending to 5% or 6% of GDP by 2026. Announcing the increase on January 17, Lithuanian Minister of Defense Dovile Sakaliene said the policy was a response to regional threats.
“We are fitting in with NATO defense plans, which are vital to our region,” he said.
Poland and Estonia have also indicated their intention to boost defense spending toward Trump’s target of 5%.
France has also urged allies to invest more, although Paris only met the 2% target itself in 2023.
“What will we do in Europe tomorrow if our American ally withdraws its warships from the Mediterranean? If they send their fighter jets from the Atlantic to the Pacific?” French President Emmanuel Macron said Jan. 20 in an address to members of the French military. “These are scenarios that we need to prepare for. These are the scenarios that we are preparing for.”
At his first NATO summit as U.S. president in 2017, Trump berated other members for failing to spend enough on defense. European allies, including Spain, are braced for further robust diplomacy ahead of the next summit, scheduled to be held in The Hague in June.
