But it was not Trump who cast doubt on NATO solidarity this week in The Hague and what he termed a "highly productive" summit in a "beautiful" country. It was Spain, whose prime minister, Pedro ...

NATO is absolutely convinced that Spain will have to spend 3.5% to get there,” Rutte added. Sanchez’s antics threatened to derail the summit.

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speaks during a press conference after the plenary session at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber) ...

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speaks during a press conference after the plenary session at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. Markus Schreiber/Associated ...

Spain was NATO’s lowest spender last year, according to the alliance’s estimates, spending around 1.28% of its GDP on defense expenditure.

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speaks during a press conference after the plenary session at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025.

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speaks during a press conference after the plenary session at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025.

Ignacio Molina, senior fellow at the Elcano Royal Institute, a think tank in Madrid, said Spain's geographic distance from ...

By all accounts, the 2025 NATO Summit, held from June 24–26 in The Hague and hosted by the Netherlands, was a huge success. President Donald Trump’s pressure on NATO allies to spend more on defense, ...