“I think it’s very disrespectful to NATO. I was actually thinking of imposing a trade penalty on them—on Spain—through tariffs for what they did, and I might do it. I think it is incredibly disrespectful” to the Atlantic Alliance, said President Trump yesterday, Tuesday, during a meeting with Argentine President Javier Milei at the White House. Trump insisted that he is “very upset with Spain,” as it is the only country that refuses to meet the 5% commitment and remains at 2.1%.
“It’s the only country that has not reached 5%, all the other NATO countries have reached it, and Spain is doing very well at our expense,” he warned, noting that Spain receives “automatic” protection due to its location.
The controversy over defense spending has been dragging on since the NATO summit last June, when Pedro Sánchez boasted that he was not going to meet the 5% defense spending target, which was agreed upon by all members of the Atlantic Alliance.
