ADVERTISEMENTDonald Trump seems to believe in an agreed exemption between the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and the secretary general of NATO Mark Rutte, on the increase in the defense expenses of the allies. He threatened the country with commercial sanctions to force him to contribute more to the Atlantic Alliance.
“It is the only country that will not pay everything, it will stay at 2 %. Their economy is doing very well, but it could implode if something serious happened”said the American president at the press conference that followed the end of the military summit.
Donald Trump, who declared “worship” Spain threatened the European country with a possible economic pact: “We will negotiate a trade agreement with Spain: we will make them pay the double. They get out of it a bit alone, but in the end they will have to pay. It’s unfair”he said.
Before the summit of The Hague, Pedro Sánchez had announced to the alliance that Spain did not intend to bring military spending to 5 % of GDP, ensuring that it was possible to achieve the agreed objectives with other allies with defense expenses of 2.1 %.
Mark Rutte: “They think they can achieve the goal with 2.1 %”
The former Dutch minister and current NATO chief was particularly ambiguous throughout the military summit by dodging the Spanish issue. This broke the unit of 32 NATO members in the top and pushed Slovakia and Belgium to join the Spanish complaints concerning the increase in expenses to 5 % of GDP.
The episode began with the publication of a letter claiming that the agreement would give Spain “The flexibility to determine its sovereign resources to achieve the required annual objectives and resources of its GDP”. But Mark Rutte denied throughout the summit that this derogation was guaranteed to Spain, causing a politico-media battle to know who was true: the secretary general or the Spanish Prime Minister.
Finally, during the press conference preceding Donald Trump’s speech, Mark Rutte said: “We agree that we are not: (Spain) thinks that it can reach the objective with 2.1 %; NATO says that it must be 3.5 % like everyone else. All the allies will report on the way in which they reach the objectives. We will see this in 2029.”
The opposition, from left to right, does not believe Pedro Sánchez
The president of the People’s Party and Opposition Head, Alberto Núñez Feijoo, who had gone so far as to ask for the resignation of the socialist leader on his return from the summit, maintained his criticisms on Wednesday: “The farce is over. Sánchez signed 5 %”, he posted on X.
The Secretary General of the Left Party Podemos, Ione Belarra, took a stronger during the usual Wednesday control session in the hemicycle against the first vice-president, María Jesús Montero.
“Today, at the top of NATO, you will sign the greatest betrayal of the working class in this country since Mr. Zapatero accepted austerity policies ten years ago (…) Fuck Nato; Fuck Trump”concluded the elected official.
Pedro Sánchez cited the key extract from the letter, which was also signed by Mark Rutte, to defend the validity of the expenses granted to Spain. The socialist leader achieves a new political objective, in his eyes, and diverts from the Spanish public conversation, for three days, the internal problems of his party, divided by the corruption of Santos Cerdán and José Luis Ábalos, former heavyweights of the PSOE.
The socialist leader assured during his own press conference in The Hague that devoting 2.1 % of GDP to La Défense was “Sufficient, realistic and compatible” with social spending in Spain; A common position of his former Podemos coalition partners, which he needs votes, among other political groups, to pass any bill. “After this summit, NATO wins, Spain wins, and security and welfare statement win”to conclude Pedro Sánchez.
