Trump suggests throwing ‘laggard’ Spain out of NATO

The US president said Spain ‘has no excuse’ after criticising the country’s military spending

US president Donald Trump has reportedly suggested that Spain’s membership in the Nato alliance should be reconsidered due to its insufficient military spending.

The intervention follows an agreement in June where members of the US-backed security pact committed to significantly boosting their defence budgets to 5 per cent of gross domestic product. The move aligns with President Trump’s long-standing demand for European nations to contribute more substantially to their own defence.

But Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez said at the time that he would not commit to the 5 per cent target, calling it “incompatible with our welfare state and our world vision”.

At an Oval Office meeting with the leader of Nato’s second-newest member, Finnish president Alexander Stubb, Trump said European leaders need to prevail upon Spain to boost its commitments to the alliance.

“You people are gonna have to start speaking to Spain,” Trump said. “You have to call them and find [out] why are they a laggard.”

He added: “They have no excuse not to do this, but that’s alright. Maybe you should throw ’em out of Nato, frankly.”

Spain reaffirmed its commitment to the alliance and appealed for calm, a government source said, adding that the nation was a full member of Nato and meets its capability targets just as the United States.

Spain joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation in 1982. The 32-member defence alliance has been in focus since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 and launched the deadliest land war in Europe since the Second World War.

‘Incompatible with our welfare state’: Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez has refused to commit to spending 5 per cent of GDP on military defence (AP)

Meanwhile, Sweden said it will invest 3.5bn Swedish crowns ($367.11m) in more anti-drone systems, citing a growing threat posed by aerial violations.

A wave of drone sightings has rattled European aviation, sparking concerns about hybrid attacks potentially targeting Ukraine’s allies in Europe, though Russia has denied involvement.

“Recent violations and drone sightings are a reminder that threats from the air are an increasingly large part of modern warfare,” Sweden’s defence minister Pal Jonson said on X. “We must defend ourselves against this.”

The Nordic Nato member will acquire systems to shoot down drones, deploy hunter drones for air bases and install jamming sensors, among other measures, the minister added.