U.S. Ambassador to Spain, Benjamín León, on Thursday reminded NATO member Spain of the bloc’s five percent GDP defense spending commitment — which the European nation has failed to uphold.
Europapress reports that Ambassador León reminded Spain of the fact speaking during a diplomatic event in Madrid on the occasion of the upcoming 250th anniversary of America’s independence. León emphasized on the five percent spending commitment spearheaded by President Donald Trump if you want to have a “strong Europe” and protect the region’s democracies “in the face of foreign powers that are pursuing a very different path.”
Infobae, The U.S. ambassador reiterated that the Trump administration “was blunt in stating that European allies must significantly increase their defense spending.” León reportedly stressed that the expectation is for NATO members to reach the five percent defense spending goal — reminding those present that the United States has historically shouldered the bulk of the military burden within the Alliance and as such, “European allies must take on more responsibilities.”
“It is the conviction that the United States and Spain must protect our innovation, our intellectual property, and above all, our democracies from foreign powers that are pursuing a very different path,” Ambassador León reportedly said during the Madrid event.
Ambassador León’s remarks come after President Trump, speaking at the White House alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, criticized NATO members’ ongoing lack of fulfillment of the five percent of their GDP in defense spending commitment.
Trump also expressed his disappointment towards several NATO members — namely, United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, France, and Spain — for not assisting the United States over the past months in the war against Iran — describing Spain as a “horror show” over its lack of proper contributions to NATO.
“We’re disappointed with most of them. Spain is a horror show. Spain is terrible, even from your standpoint. I mean, they don’t want to pay anything. They think they’re in for a free ride. Spain is not a good group, not a good group at all.”
The administration of socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has repeatedly refused to step up and commit to the five percent defense spending commitment. Instead, Sánchez has reportedly claimed that Spain can only spend around 2.1 percent, less than half of the five percent goal.
According to the Spanish newspaper La Razón, Rutte, speaking to reporters outside the White House after his meeting with President Trump, said that Sánchez “believes it is possible to achieve this — not by allocating 3.5 percent to inefficient defense spending, but 2.2 percent.”
“I don’t think he can do it, and I think time will tell, but that is the point on which we agreed to disagree last year, and that hasn’t changed,” Rutte reportedly said.