BRUSSELS/MADRID, June 22 (Reuters) – NATO members agreed on Sunday to a big increase in their defence spending target to 5% of gross domestic product, as demanded by U.S. President Donald Trump, but Spain said it did not need to comply just days before a summit in The Hague meant to be a show of unity.
NATO defense ministers meeting in Brussels. AFP via Getty Images
NATO officials had been anxious to find consensus on a summit statement on a new spending commitment ahead of Wednesday’s gathering. But Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez declared on Thursday he would not commit to the 5% target.
NATO boss Mark Rutte has proposed to reach the target by boosting NATO’s core defence spending goal from 2% to 3.5% of GDP and spending an extra
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