U.S. President Donald Trump has called on NATO to consider expelling Spain from the alliance due to disagreements over the country’s delay in meeting military spending commitments.
In June, NATO members backed by the United States agreed to significantly increase their defense spending to 5% of GDP, fulfilling one of Trump’s key priorities, as he has long urged European allies to invest more in their own defense.
However, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez stated at the time that he would not commit to the 5% target, calling it “incompatible with our welfare state and our vision of the world.”
During a meeting in the Oval Office with Finnish President Alexander Stubb, one of NATO’s newest leaders, Trump said that European leaders must pressure Spain to raise its contributions to the alliance.
“You need to start talking to Spain. You should call them and understand why they’re falling behind,” Trump said.
“They have no excuse not to do it—but fine, maybe you should just kick them out of NATO, honestly,” he added, according to Reuters.
Spain joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 1982, and NATO has been at the center of global attention since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
