Spain has firmly rejected calls from the United States and NATO to raise its defence spending to 5% of GDP, describing the proposal as unrealistic and beyond the capacity of European arms industries.
Speaking before the Senate Defence Commission on Friday, Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles dismissed the target put forward by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and backed by former US President Donald Trump as “absolutely impossible” to meet under current conditions.
“Everyone is convinced that right now there is no industry capable of absorbing 5%,” Robles told lawmakers. “We can say whatever we want, we can dress it up or disguise it, but no industry can take it on.”
Her remarks come after Rutte floated the ambitious 5% goal during last week’s NATO summit in the Netherlands. Madrid had already opposed the proposal in the lead-up to the summit, instead proposing a more modest defence spending target of 2.1% of GDP. According to NATO data, Spain currently spends about 1.28% of its GDP on defence — the lowest among member states — while countries like Poland spend over 4%.
Robles criticised such comparisons as misleading. She argued that most European defence firms, including those in Spain, are not equipped to handle a sudden surge in production due to a lack of skilled labour and limited access to critical raw materials. Even if governments managed to allocate the funds, she said, the industrial capacity simply does not exist to meet the increased demand.
She further claimed that other NATO members privately share Spain’s concerns but are reluctant to voice them publicly. “Spain is a serious, reliable, committed, and responsible ally, who speaks less and does more,” she said during an event at Madrid’s Higher Centre for Defence Studies.
Robles also aimed at Donald Trump, suggesting he should have used his influence to help bring an end to the war in Ukraine rather than pushing allies to spend more on military expansion. “Our national defence industry does not need lessons from anyone,” she said.
Trump, during his campaign last year, had claimed he could end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine “within 24 hours,” though he later admitted that the situation was far more complex.
Moscow has repeatedly criticised NATO’s support for Ukraine and its intention to offer Kyiv future membership. Russian officials have characterised the ongoing war as a proxy conflict instigated by the West, insisting that the alliance is fighting “to the last Ukrainian.”
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