Spanish Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo said on Wednesday his country does not expect any repercussions from its refusal to meet the defence spending target of 5% of gross domestic product to be set by NATO member countries in a Summit held in The Hague.
“Spain will be a responsible ally,” Cuerpo said in an interview on Bloomberg TV, as he stressed the country would meet all its military capabilities commitments towards NATO.
“No repercussions should derive from making good on our commitments and from being a reliable NATO ally, covering for the capabilities that we did commit to and that are necessary to defend NATO from the different threats that have been identified by experts,” Cuerpo said.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Sunday his country would not spend more than 2.1% of its gross domestic product in defence as its military capabilities commitments towards NATO don’t require more.
The summit is expected to endorse a higher defence spending goal of 5% of GDP – a response to a demand by US President Donald Trump and to Europeans’ fears that Russia poses an increasingly direct threat to their security following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
NATO General Secretary Mark Rutte has disputed the Spanish view but accepted a diplomatic fudge with Sanchez as part of his intense efforts to give Trump a diplomatic victory and make the summit go smoothly.
(Reporting by Inti Landauro)
