Spain granted flexibility on NATO's new defence targets
發佈日期: 2025-06-26 20:58
TVB News
NATO leaders have voted to officially raise the bloc's defence spending target to 5 percent of their GDP with a commitment to mutual defence.
The hike fulfils a long-standing demand from Donald Trump who claims the U.S. was paying more than its fair share.
Officials confirmed Spain is granted spending flexibility as long as it meets the capability target, while Trump threatened to double tariffs on Spain.
In a summit communique agreed on Wednesday, allies pledged to invest 5 percent of their GDP annually in defence and related sectors over the next 10 years.
The Western military bloc said it was united in the face of profound challenges, in particular, the "long-term threat posed by Russia to Euro-Atlantic security."
Its Secretary-General Mark Rutte hailed the agreement as "transformational."
He said: "Together, allies have laid the foundations for a stronger, fairer and more lethal NATO. NATO leaders agreed on The Hague defence investment plan. This will fuel a quantum leap in our collective defense."
The hike in defence spending marks a major revamp of the alliance in more than a decade, even though not all member states have met the current 2 percent guideline.
The 5 percent target is made up of at least 3.5 percent of the countries' economic output that should be spent on core defence, mainly troops and weapons, by 2035.
And 1.5 percent of their GDP will be dedicated to broader defence-related measures including cyber security, emergency healthcare, justice and critical infrastructure, in a bid to ensure civil preparedness and resilience.
While some have voiced reservations, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez stated before the summit his country would spend 2.1 percent of its GDP on defence, "no more, no less," as "rushing toward 5 percent" could undermine social spending.
U.S. President Donald Trump singled out Spain, accusing it of seeking "a little bit of a free ride." Trump warned he could make Spain pay twice as much the tariffs to the United States for a trade deal.
To bring Madrid on board, NATO has allowed its spending flexibility without having to increase defence spending to 5 percent of GDP, as long as it meets the bloc's updated Capability Target goal approved earlier this month.
Allies also agreed to submit to stricter requirements with a spending review in 2029, after the next U.S. presidential election, to take into account the strategic environment and revised capability targets.
Trump sent assurances to other leaders by affirming the U.S. commitment to Article 5 of the NATO treaty.
Trump noted: "I watched the heads of these countries get up and the love, the passion that they show for their country was unbelievable. I've never seen quite anything like it. They want to protect their country, and they need the United States. And without the United States, it's not going to be the same."
