Spanish Prime Minister: Spain Will Not Increase Defense Spending to More Than 2% of GDP
Russian State News Agency, Madrid - Spanish Prime Minister Sanchez said on October 14 that the Spanish government does not plan to increase military spending to more than 2% of GDP, regardless of comments by US President Trump.
Trump proposed on October 9 to expel Spain from NATO because Spain was unwilling to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP.
Speaking in an interview with Spanish Ser Radio, Sanchez said, "We have many reasons not to support increasing defense spending to 5%. First, the army does not have sufficient capacity to bear such a huge amount. Second, according to data from the Ministry of Defense, our current level of defense spending reaches 2.1% of GDP, which meets NATO's current requirements."
Sanchez emphasized that the security of Europe and Spain depends not only on military spending but also on cooperation with third countries or combating inequality.
The NATO Summit was held in The Hague, Netherlands, from June 24 to 25. Leaders of NATO member states decided to increase defense spending from 2% of GDP to 5% by 2035.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1846002221070347/
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