In the run-up to the summit, Spain emerged as the lone holdout against the spending target. Pedro Sánchez, Spain’s prime minister, is in a tight spot at home, battling allegations of corruption by his aides and unable to pass a budget. “A 5% spending would be disproportionate and unnecessary,” he said on June 22nd.

The NATO leaders’ summit was tailor-made for Donald Trump, with a truncated schedule and a headline defense spending commitment secured in advance so the U.S. president could arrive having already secured something of a victory.