The Hague, June 26, 2025 – The Europe Today: Former U.S. President Donald Trump issued a strong warning to Spain on Wednesday following Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s refusal to endorse NATO’s new defense spending target of 5% of GDP by 2035.
Speaking at a press conference after the conclusion of the NATO summit in The Hague, Trump declared that he would take direct action by personally negotiating a trade agreement with Spain and imposing double tariffs if necessary.
“I’m going to negotiate directly with Spain. I will do it myself. They are going to pay. They will pay more money this way. We’re going to make them pay double. And I mean it,” Trump said in a pointed and confrontational tone, according to international media.
The Republican leader harshly criticized the Spanish government’s stance on defense spending, labeling Spain as “the most hostile of the NATO countries” regarding the alliance’s defense objectives. He dismissed the current Spanish proposal to raise defense spending to 2.1% of GDP as “insufficient” and insisted it should be increased to at least 3.5%.
Trump’s remarks underscore growing tensions among NATO allies over burden-sharing and the future of defense funding in the alliance. His comments come amid broader debates within NATO about increasing defense investments in response to emerging security threats and evolving geopolitical dynamics.
