NATO chief denies Sánchez: 'Spain is not exempt from spending 5% of its GDP on defense'

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Monday that the agreement to increase military spending to 5% of gross domestic product (GDP) allows no exceptions, despite Spain’s statement that it will not be required to meet that target.

"There is no exception clause," Rutte said on the eve of the NATO summit. However, Spain released a letter signed by Rutte stating that the summit will grant Spain "flexibility" on its spending.

Spain insists that it will not "have to reach 5% in defense"

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, citing a NATO letter as endorsement, insisted earlier Monday that his country will not be required to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP, despite opposition from Atlantic Alliance diplomats.

Sanchez posted on X a letter signed by the secretary general of the alliance, dated Sunday.

The politician, recently embroiled in several corruption scandals involving his closest collaborators, also posted a video reiterating that "Spain has reached a historic agreement with NATO that will allow it to remain a key member of the alliance and contribute proportionally to its capabilities, without having to increase its defense spending, nor reach 5% of GDP."

Sanchez sparks confusion

According to diplomats consulted in Brussels, NATO countries have agreed to increase military spending by up to 3.5% of GDP over the next decade, plus an additional 1.5% for broader defense-related expenditures.

However, Spain caused confusion this weekend by claiming that not all allies are bound by these commitments.

At NATO headquarters in Brussels, no exceptions appear to be considered. According to several diplomats speaking to AFP, the Spanish government only secured an extension of the deadline to reach the 5% target—from 2032 to 2035.

Pedro Sanchez had previously expressed his refusal to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP, calling it a "disproportionate and unnecessary" target. On Sunday, he argued that allocating 2.1% of GDP to defense is sufficient.

This issue once again puts the Socialist leader between a rock and a hard place, as his coalition partner, the far-left Sumar party, is strongly opposed to increased military spending.

The Summit in The Hague

NATO will hold a summit this week in The Hague, Netherlands, where member countries plan to approve increasing national military spending to 5% of GDP over the coming years.

The agreement being pursued at this summit "introduces a new floor of 5% of each GDP to be invested in defense. It is an ambitious, historic and fundamental leap forward," Rutte said at a press conference.

However, the secretary reiterated that the agreement allows no exceptions, indicating that all 32 alliance members will be committed to significantly increasing their military spending.

The initiative to increase defense spending was proposed by the United States several weeks ago.