Trump blasts Spain for being NATO’s spending ‘laggard.’ Madrid replies that it is a ‘loyal’ ally | World News - The Indian Express skip to contentAdvertisementTrump was referring to Spain being the sole member of the 32-nation alliance not to commit to increasing military spending to 5% of GDP in an agreement reached in June.By: AP October 10, 2025 10:10 PM IST First published on: Oct 10, 2025 at 10:10 PM IST ShareWhatsapptwitterFacebookPresident Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn to depart on Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, Oct. 10, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo)Spain’s defense minister has defended her country’s commitment to NATO after US President Donald Trump floated the idea that the southern European country should be expelled from the military alliance for not spending enough on its armed forces.In comments made Thursday while meeting with Finnish President Alexander Stubb in the Oval Office, Trump said that Spain was a “laggard” and must be pressed to spend more on its military.“You people are going to have to start speaking to Spain,” Trump said. “You have to call them and find why they are a laggard. They have no excuse not to do this, but that’s all right. Maybe you should throw them out of NATO, frankly.”Trump was referring to Spain being the sole member of the 32-nation alliance not to commit to increasing military spending to 5% of GDP in an agreement reached in June.Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez secured a last-minute exemption, saying that Spain will only spend up to 2.1%, which he called “sufficient and realistic.” Spain’s Defense Minister Margarita Robles told reporters in Madrid on Friday that “we are not worried.”“I believe that President Trump must know that Spain is one of the committed and loyal (NATO) allies,” she said.Most ReadThe eurozone’s fourth-largest economy, Spain was NATO’s lowest spender last year, according to the alliance’s estimates, spending around 1.28% of its GDP on defense. In April, Sánchez announced that the country would reach 2% this year, for which he was criticized by some left-wing allies.His left-wing government was already struggling to commit to spending 2% GDP on defense when Trump demanded a bigger boost to 5%.Spain joined NATO in 1982 and entered its military structure in 1999.Madrid says that it makes up for the spending gap by its willingness to deploy troops on NATO missions.Spain’s military currently participates in alliance missions in Latvia, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey, among others. It is also a backer of Ukraine and has sent it military and humanitarian aid during the Russian full-scale invasion.AdvertisementAdvertisementLoading Taboola...SubscribeSign InJournalism of CourageTop CategoriesLATEST STORIESDiverting state machinery for panchayat poll work will affect disaster relief: SukhuAid groups prepare to provide quick relief to Gaza under ceasefireNetanyahu promises to return to war if Hamas disarmament is not ‘achieved the easy way’‘Hrithik Roshan and I would get our makeup done by sitting on the bonnet of a car for Fiza,’ recalls Anup Soni: ‘After Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai, he got a vanity van’MNS to join MVA protest against corruption in Thane Municipal Corporation on October 13Equity mutual fund inflows dip 9% to Rs 30,421.69 crore in September: AMFI dataAryan Khan made a short film with his sister Suhana Khan and father Shah Rukh Khan, was experimenting with VFX at the age of 10: ‘I always felt I had a lot of things to say’Sena UBT trains guns on Ramdas and Yogesh Kadam on licence approvalExercise Konkan boosted India-UK integration as blue water carrier navies: UK Carrier Strike Group CommanderAfghan man with AK-47 face tattoo found guilty of threatening to kill Nigel FarageDay after TBSE exam fee hike announcement, ABVP joins Opposition in demanding rollbackNearly 2 months after Aug 20 stabbing incident, offline classes resume in full at private schoolHow the popular ‘chai-sutta’ combination affects the bodyYuvraj Singh’s father Yograj kept wife under lock and key: ‘No leaving house without my permission, no visits from your relatives’Lokayukta raids ex-PWD chief engineer in Madhya Pradesh, ‘unearths’ gold, cash — and tonnes of honeyCustoms nab four passengers at Mumbai airport, contraband worth Rs 12 crore seized