At a NATO summit, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez faced pressure regarding defense spending but successfully resisted demands to increase it to 5%. This led to a public clash with U.S. President Donald Trump, who threatened to double tariffs on Spain as punishment. Sanchez argued that accepting the increase would lead to significant cuts in Spain's healthcare and education sectors. Ultimately, he emerged from the summit with a sense of satisfaction, having politically positioned himself against opposition leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo during a time of vulnerability due to domestic issues.
Sanchez stated, "If we had accepted the 5%, Spain would have had to allocate an extra 300 billion to defense between now and 2035. Where would that come from?"
Trump announced increased tariffs as retaliation for Spain's NATO stance, saying, "They're going to pay, they'll pay more money this way. You're the only country that is not paying."
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