Ukraine War10 May, 20263 min read
NATO Says Spain Will Allocate 2% of GDP to Military Spending in 2025
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NATO estimates Spain will spend 2% of GDP on defense in 2025. Spain rejects NATO's 5% defense-spending target as unreasonable.
Spain and NATO targets
NATO estimates that Spain will allocate 2% of its GDP to military spending in 2025, marking the first time Spain has met the target set in 2014 within the Atlantic Alliance. RTVE.es says Spain increased its defense spending by 43.11% since 2014 and that the report collects data on defense investment since 2014 based on payments already made or to be made by governments. NATO’s latest report also notes that the alliance’s new target is 5% and that in June the allies set this goal at 5% of GDP, comprising 3.5% for military spending and 1.5% for security.
RTVE.es adds that NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte stated in June that Spain would have to go further and reach 3.5% to meet those objectives, while Defense Minister Margarita Robles said the 2% has been reached thanks to more than €10 billion included in the plan the government announced in April. The same NATO-linked reporting says Spain’s government stance is not to increase defense spending above 2.1% despite the 5% target, because it believes that figure will meet its commitments to NATO’s capability objectives.
Budget moves for Ukraine
El País reports that on December 23 the Council of Ministers approved an investment of more than €2 billion in military spending, including a €100 million contribution to NATO to defend Ukraine. El País says that on Christmas Eve the Government approved €1.9 billion for Defense and a voluntary contribution of €100 million to NATO for strengthening Kyiv's defensive capabilities. El País also quotes Margarita Robles saying, "It is not a matter of percentages but of capabilities, and the capabilities are in place in the Atlantic Alliance."
In the same reporting, El País says Pedro Sánchez announced in November, in a joint appearance with Volodymyr Zelenskiy at La Moncloa, that Spain would allocate €817 million in support of Ukraine, including €100 million for the urgent and accelerated purchase of American weapons, mainly anti-air missiles. El País further states that NATO calculated in August that Spain was already allocating the 2% committed by the Prime Minister and would meet it in the last four months of the year, requiring an investment of €10,471 million to bring the total to €33,123 million.
Spain rejects 5% demand
Euronews reports that Spain rejects NATO’s demand to devote 5% of its GDP to defense, describing the proposal as "unreasonable" or even "counterproductive" in a letter sent to NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. Euronews says Pedro Sánchez wrote that his country "will not be able to commit to a specific spending target in GDP terms" at the NATO summit in The Hague. Euronews frames the dispute around consensus among the 32 member states, noting that Spain’s decision could derail the NATO summit scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday.
El Mundo reports that United for Ukraine urged Spain to increase economic and military involvement, warning that the Kremlin’s threat is not a distant hypothesis but an imminent danger to the continent's security. El Mundo quotes Inra Mrniece warning that "Putin could attack EU and NATO countries in barely a year if he is not defeated today," and it adds that the allies’ pressure focused on budget commitment.