Straight
Follow live reactions to the NATO summit and Donald Trump's remarks on Spain's defense spending, along with the latest news from The Hague.
Follow the live reactions to the NATO summit and Donald Trump's remarks on Spain's defense spending, along with the latest news from The Hague.
20:21
EU leaders meet in Brussels this Thursday for a Council meeting marked by the conflict in Iran and Trump's threats.
The heads of state and government of the European Union will meet this Thursday in Brussels at a European Council marked by tensions in the Middle East following the attacks between Israel and Iran and just 24 hours after the NATO summit, where allied leaders pledged to increase spending to 5% of their GDP over ten years and US President Donald Trump threatened Spain with trade retaliation for not meeting this target.
European Council President António Costa will launch the discussions with the aim of concluding all matters in a single day, but the busy agenda makes it likely that the summit will be extended until Friday.
Carlos Cuerpo rejects bilateral negotiations with Trump because trade policy is delegated to the European Commission.
Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo has rejected any possibility of bilateral negotiations with US President Donald Trump, following threats to double tariffs for Spain alone, and asserting that he would negotiate himself. The European Commission represents us, the minister clarified.
The Minister of Economy, in statements to EFE, asserted that any negotiations on tariff policy are ceded to the European Commission, so negotiations must take place within the framework of trade between the US and the European Union. Cuerpo emphasized that, within the framework of NATO and the increase in defense spending, Spain is a reliable partner."We will cover the capabilities that are needed and to which we have committed," he emphasized.
In this regard, the minister noted that tariffs are already affecting domestic products: a 10% across the board tariff, a 50% tariff on important sectors such as steel and aluminum, and a 25% tariff on the automotive sector."We must reach a fair and balanced agreement," stated Carlos Cuerpo, who once again emphasized sticking to the bilateral negotiations taking place between the EU and the US.
A Pedro Sánchez fan interrupts the NATO press conference:"Don't give up, we love you!"
Pedro Sánchez's press conference in The Hague concluded Tuesday with a scene as unexpected as it was revealing. The Spanish Prime Minister, who had appeared to explain Spain's position on the defense spending commitment—with an ambiguous defense of 2.1% of GDP despite having agreed to reach 5%—had already left when something unexpected happened.
The journalists were gathering their things and leaving the room after exhausting the question period, when a female voice broke the final murmur with an unexpected and emotional cry:"Pedro Sánchez, don't give up, we love you!"
The PP is positioned between Sánchez and Trump: Neither with the president who lies nor with the one who threatens.
The Popular Party (PP), whose first official reaction leaves them between Sánchez and the President of the United States, Donald Trump. Neither with the president who lies nor with the president who threatens, the PP settled in a statement released through its media channels.
Pedro Sánchez has committed to NATO's rearmament philosophy and to 5% of GDP in defense spending over a maximum of ten years, but he reassures his partners by saying that he has deceived the Atlantic Alliance and that he will only pay 2.1%. His parliamentary accomplices condone his lies, but the People's Party does not. However, the People's Party also does not condone the threats against Spain from the President of the United States, Donald Trump. And even less so if he intends to use our country's producers to avenge the lack of solidarity of the Prime Minister. Therefore, neither with the president who lies nor with the president who threatens. Our country will once again be a respected, trustworthy, and supportive country. And it will be very soon, the People's Party has expressed, after Trump responded to Spain's refusal to reach 5% of GDP in military investment with the threat of a targeted trade war against the country.
The Ibex 35 fell 1.59%, weighed down by the banking sector and Trump's threats.
The Ibex 35 posted its worst session on Wednesday since the outbreak of the tariff crisis on Liberation Day last April, falling 1.59% to 13,811.8 points. This was weighed down by the banking sector and on a day marked by threats against Spain from US President Donald Trump for refusing to commit to military spending of 5% of GDP.
Abascal, on the attack after the Summit: We must seriously consider Mr. Sánchez's dismissal for mental incapacity.
The president of Vox, Santiago Abascal, has asserted that the dismissal of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez for mental incapacity must be seriously considered. Abascal cited a video of the agitator Bertrand Ndongo to attack the president after the NATO Summit. His disconnection from reality is already pathological, he added.
CCOO warns that increasing defense spending to 5% of GDP will cause a major social collapse.
The general secretary of the Comisiones Obreras union, Unai Sordo, has warned that increasing defense spending to 5% of gross domestic product (GDP) would lead to a major social collapse in European countries, including Spain.
Not only will Spain fail to comply with this spending increase, but the vast majority of countries currently signing the NATO document will not, and if not, they'll have to wait and see. If they do, it will be at the cost of major social collapse, Sordo stated during an event in Santander.
It's not viable. It can't be done in the short term. It will tear the countries apart, the union leader emphasized. If the decision is made to reach that 5%, it would come at the cost of a drastic reduction in social protection and spending levels or diverting resources needed to carry out the necessary energy and digital transformations.
The Ibex 35 falls 1.59% to 13,800 points, weighed down by the banking sector and Trump's threats.
The Ibex 35 posted its worst session on Wednesday since the outbreak of the tariff crisis on Liberation Day last April, falling 1.59% to 13,811.8 points. This was weighed down by the banking sector and on a day marked by threats against Spain from US President Donald Trump for refusing to commit to military spending of 5% of GDP.
The national index has been on a strong downward trend since the opening bell and has been by far the most pessimistic European index, erasing all the gains it made yesterday and moving decisively away from the 14,000-point mark.
The main indicator of the Spanish market was affected by the declines in the banking sector on a day also highlighted by the publication of the domestic Gross Domestic Product (GDP). (EUROPA PRESS)
18:19
Yolanda Díaz responds to Trump: Spain is sovereign and does not accept threats from anyone.
Second Vice President Yolanda Díaz has proclaimed that Spain is sovereign and does not accept threats from anyone after US President Donald Trump warned Spain of a trade war for not committing to a 5% military spending cut at the NATO summit.
We're not going to increase defense spending to please Donald Trump. Our priority is social spending, and we owe it to the Spanish people, he wrote on the social media platform Bluesky.
Portugal will maintain 2% defense spending until 2029
Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro has backed the NATO agreement reached this Wednesday to increase defense spending by allied countries to 5% by 2035.
However, Montenegro has announced, according to the Portuguese newspaper Expresso, that its country will maintain a spending level of 2% until 2029, as new US elections will take place that year and the goals achieved this Wednesday in The Hague will be reviewed.
Iran calls Rutte's congratulations to Trump after US bombings shameful
Iran on Wednesday called NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte's congratulations to Donald Trump shameful, following the US attacks on the Islamic Republic's nuclear sites this weekend.
It is shameful, despicable, and irresponsible for the NATO Secretary General to call a criminal act of aggression against a sovereign state"truly extraordinary," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said. (EUROPA PRESS)
Trump and Zelensky hold a long and substantive meeting at the NATO summit
While US President Donald Trump boasts at the NATO summit about the end of the war between Israel and Iran—which he attributes to Iran's intervention—he is also addressing other international issues. Among them is the war in Ukraine, with whose leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, the US president met.
Trump attacks the press: he attacks CNN and The New York Times and compares his attack on Iran to that of Hiroshima or Nagasaki.
Trump has attacked the country's press, including CNN, the fake news outlet that no one watches, and The New York Times, for publishing Tuesday's report that the attack on Iran wasn't that serious. Someone said the other day that Hiroshima and Nagasaki ended World War II, and this could have ended the war in a different way, but it was devastating.
NATO allies agree to increase military spending to 5% and reaffirm collective defense
NATO leaders on Wednesday reaffirmed their commitment to a defense spending target of 5% of GDP over the next decade, in an agreement that renews the Atlantic alliance's military investment horizon, driven by pressure from US President Donald Trump and the turbulent security landscape marked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
17:13
ABC reported Trump's intention to raise tariffs on countries that do not comply with the 5% threshold.
At the beginning of the month, David Alandete and Javier Ansorena, correspondents in Washington and New York, respectively, reported on Donald Trump's intentions to require NATO allies to spend 5%, and failing to do so, the risk of new immediate tariffs.
According to White House sources on Wednesday, in view of the German chancellor's visit and President Trump's participation in various international forums, the goal of 5% of GDP spent on defense is non-negotiable. NATO member countries must present a clear plan to achieve it.
17:05
VIDEO | Trump says he will negotiate directly with Spain: They will pay
Trump punishes Spain with double tariffs for Sánchez's stance on defense spending
Donald Trump stated this Wednesday in The Hague that Spain will have to pay double the tariffs due to the position defended by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez regarding the defense spending commitments of NATO member countries.
By Javier Ansorena, New York correspondent.
16:46
VIDEO | Trump threatens Spain with double tariffs
President Trump has directly threatened Spain with double the tariffs for being the only country that refuses to meet the 5% defense spending target that NATO allies have committed to.
16:41
Trump says Spain will pay double in tariffs due to Sánchez's stance on defense spending.
Donald Trump stated this Wednesday in The Hague that Spain will have to pay double the tariffs due to the position defended by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez regarding the defense spending commitments of NATO member countries.
Spain is horrible, the US president responded when asked at a press conference whether he was satisfied with the commitments Sánchez made at the military alliance summit, where he maintained that, compared to the 5% Trump wants and NATO has agreed to, Spain will only dedicate 2.1% to defense spending.
But we're going to make up for it, he warned. We're going to negotiate a trade agreement with Spain and make them pay double. And I mean it, Trump threatened regarding the export tariffs he's negotiating with countries around the world.
Javier Ansorena, New York correspondent, reports.
Trump says he will negotiate directly with Spain: They will pay
Trump has assured that he will negotiate directly with Spain. Tell Spain they're going to pay more money. They're going to join those countries that pay 5%. It makes no sense that Spain should be the only one not to pay.
Trump: We'll make Spain pay double
President Trump has promised to negotiate a trade agreement whereby Spain will pay double in tariffs because it's the only one refusing to pay. They will pay in the end, he has assured. Spain is the only country that refuses to pay; they're acting on their own. In the end, they're going to end up paying us, because I won't allow that to happen. It's unfair.
16:26
Trump says it's vital to spend the extra money on military equipment, and for it to be American-made.
It's vital to spend the additional money on military equipment, not bureaucracy. Let's hope all that equipment is made in the U.S., because you saw the 14 missiles we launched the other day; they're very good, President Trump said. Of the 14 missiles they launched at the base in Qatar, we shot down every single one, one bullet at a time, the president said, adding that on Tuesday they shot down 13 of the 14.
Trump: When I arrived, there were only four countries in the 2% spending bracket. Now they've all doubled their budgets.
Donald Trump noted that when he came to power in 2017, for the first time, only four countries were in the 2% defense spending bracket, while the majority were below. They have already agreed to more than double their budgets. Europe will take more responsibility for its security. This will help avoid future disasters like the situation with Russia and Ukraine.
This will be remembered as The Hague Defense Pledge, says Trump
The US president has asserted that this NATO Summit will be remembered as The Hague Defense Pledge, a date on which allied countries committed to increasing their common defense. I think that statement is accurate; when the allies reach this figure, it will represent more than $1 trillion a year for our common victory. This is a monumental victory for the US because we were paying far more than our fair share, and it was unfair, he emphasized, while noting that no previous administration had succeeded in getting allies to contribute.
Trump claims that all allies have accelerated their defense plans since he arrived.
Trump asserted that since he took office six months ago, allied nations have accelerated their plans to meet these goals. The US accounts for two-thirds of all NATO defense spending, the president noted.
Trump: We've focused on the need for other NATO members to increase their burden to defend Europe.
President Trump congratulated himself on achieving a 5% increase in NATO defense spending, noting that some leaders have told him they've been wanting to raise it to 3% for years. Most of them will contribute 5%, he noted. Regarding the Summit, the president asserted that the objective was clear:"We have focused on the need for other NATO members to increase their support to defend Europe."
Donald Trump speaks after the NATO Summit: We have ended the threat of Iran's nuclear program
President Trump has asserted that the operation in Iran has been a success, calling the claim of a 12-day war in reference to the conflict between Iran and Israel correct."We have ended the threat of Iran's nuclear program," the president emphasized after the NATO Leaders' Summit in The Hague.
15:55
The photo of Sánchez that shows his loneliness in NATO
The historic family photo of leaders from the NATO summit in The Hague portrays the Spanish Prime Minister cornered and separated from his counterparts.
Reported by Adrián Peñacoba.
Sánchez insists on investing 2.1% of defense spending despite the unanimous agreement committing to 5%.
Signing the 5% target would be a complete mistake for Spain, Sánchez argued, making it clear that the 2.1% GDP target is the path that aligns with Spain's capabilities and the welfare state.
Read the full story.
Expansion | Sánchez insists that current defense spending is sufficient
Spain will meet the new capability targets agreed upon by NATO members at Wednesday's summit in The Hague, but believes its current defense spending of 2% of GDP is sufficient, realistic, and compatible with the welfare state, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said after the meeting.
Last week, Sánchez requested that NATO not accept its demand to increase member states' defense spending to 5% of their GDP, a request that NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte publicly rejected.
15:15
Merz confirms that a video call will soon be held between the countries of the Coalition of Volunteers supporting Ukraine.
15:12
Trump-Zelensky meeting begins at NATO summit, says Ukraine's presidency
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz: I could have imagined a different solution for Spain, but everything is fine as long as Spain fulfills its NATO objectives.
15:08
Sánchez: To meet NATO's capacity targets, 2.1% of GDP is enough, as the Armed Forces say.
15:04
Sánchez: I hope we talk less about GDP percentage and more about co-production, joint procurement, and interoperability.
3:00 PM
Sánchez: We believe that Spain's current investment is sufficient, realistic, and compatible with the welfare state.
14:56
Spanish President Pedro Sánchez: NATO emerged united from this summit
14:51
Rutte: Article 5 is very clear
14:48
Rutte maintains that the 5% is a US request for Europe to match its defense spending.
14:44
Rutte defends his language with Trump: He deserves praise
14:42
Rutte says Ukraine has our full support
14:41
Rutte: No one should doubt our ability or our determination.
14:40
Rutte: We will continue working with Ukraine
14:38
Rutte: Allies have agreed to increase defense spending to 5%
14:37
NATO Secretary General argues that increased defense spending improves protection and creates jobs.
Macron warns Trump that he cannot ask us for more defense spending while we are in a trade war.
14:23
Macron says NATO is taking action against the Russian threat
14:22
Macron: Europe will spend more on defense and shoulder its share of the burden
14:21
NATO member countries agree to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035.
14:15
NATO allies agree to increase defense spending and reaffirm collective defense
NATO allies pledged Wednesday to increase their annual defense spending to 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2035 and reaffirmed their commitment to collective defense, stating that an attack on one is an attack on all.
In their summit declaration in The Hague, NATO leaders stated that the defense commitment would consist of investments of at least 3.5% of annual GDP in basic defense needs.
13:28
Extension | The US accuses Pedro Sánchez of being recalcitrant and blames his position in NATO on internal challenges: His level of commitment is not sustainable.
U.S. Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio has pointed the finger at Spain as the main obstacle to reaching a unanimous agreement within NATO on increasing military spending to 5% of GDP. Rubio laments that, with the unfortunate exception of Spain, virtually all allied countries have already made that commitment. Reports David Alandete, Washington correspondent.
The US once again attacks Spain for its refusal to accept the 5% and attributes its reluctance to deep internal problems: It is not sustainable.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio once again criticized Spain on Wednesday for not agreeing to invest 5% of GDP in defense like other NATO allies, insisting that this represents a problem for NATO and attributing Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's refusal to internal problems.
It's a big problem (...) right now they have deep internal political problems. They have a center-left government that basically wants to spend very little or nothing on the military, the US Secretary of State told Politico on the sidelines of the NATO summit in The Hague.
I don't think the agreement Spain has reached is sustainable, and frankly, it puts them in a very difficult position relative to their other allies and partners, he added.
Belgian Prime Minister uses irony before NATO summit: If Pedro Sánchez can do what he says, then he's a genius.
Sánchez avoids contact with Trump and other leaders at the start of the NATO summit.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has avoided direct contact with US President Donald Trump and many of the leaders of allied countries at the start of the NATO summit, which has been marked by Spain's reluctance to commit to spending 5% of its GDP on defense and security.
Sánchez greeted NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, who are acting as hosts, in the traditional greeting that all the leaders go through one by one.
Trump vows to pursue leaked report denying destruction of Iran's nuclear targets
US President Donald Trump believes that the media outlets that published a confidential report claiming that the US bombing failed to destroy Iran's nuclear facilities are bad actors and that the FBI is investigating the case to determine who leaked it. Enrique Serbeto, special envoy to The Hague, and José Ignacio de la Torre reported.
12:11
Trump compares the attacks on Iran to Hiroshima and Nagasaki and accuses the scumbag press of downplaying their success.
US President Donald Trump claimed responsibility Wednesday for the attacks ordered against nuclear facilities in Iran, claiming that they have ended the conflict between Iran and Israel, similar to the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II.
That blow ended the war. I don't want to use the example of Hiroshima. I don't want to use the example of Nagasaki, but it was essentially the same thing, he said in remarks alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte upon his arrival at the leaders' summit in The Hague.
Diplomats: Spain's credibility and our foreign image have been devastated.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte's rebuttal to the Prime Minister's assertion that there is no opt-out clause for Spain and that Spain will have to invest 3.5 percent in defense, like the rest of the Alliance members, on Monday dismantled the charade orchestrated on Sunday by the Moncloa Palace, when the government tried to sell the idea that this issue doesn't involve pacts or side agreements, with Pedro Sánchez in a frenzy, not so much because of the supposed agreement he had reached, but because the international context served to evade the Cerdán case. Reported by Angie Calero.
11:24
Belgian PM uses irony ahead of NATO summit: If Pedro Sánchez can do what he says, then he's a genius.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is preparing to sign the commitment to increase military and defense spending to 5% of GDP, despite all the reluctance he has shown in public. At the start of the main session of the NATO summit, most European leaders referred to the fact that all countries will make the same commitment to rearm to confront the growing threat posed by Russia. As Polish Prime Minister Duda said,"I don't think it can attack another country right now, but looking to the future, it represents a risk we cannot take." Enrique Serbeto, Special Envoy to The Hague, reported.
11:07
Sánchez participates in the NATO summit
11:00
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and U.S. President Donald Trump hold a brief press conference ahead of the North Atlantic Treaty summit. // REUTERS
10:46
Trump says the truce between Iran and Israel is working very well.
US President Donald Trump has claimed that the truce between Iran and Israel is working very well, after accusing both countries of violating the ceasefire a day earlier.
10:41
Trump says he would bomb Iran again if it rebuilt its nuclear program.
US President Donald Trump was asked upon his arrival at the NATO summit whether he would bomb Iran again if it were to rebuild its nuclear program, and he replied that he would definitely. He added that Iran's nuclear program has regressed by decades.
10:34
Denmark defends 5% defense spending in NATO: We are falling behind
10:30
Rutte confirms that NATO states will decide today to go for 5%.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte confirms that NATO heads of government will decide today to go for 5%, adding that it's about Europeans and Canadians paying more, not American taxpayers.
10:28
Trump clears up doubts regarding Article 5: We're with them all the way.
10:27
Trump says NATO will be very strong
10:10
Extension | The meeting between Trump and Zelensky is expected to take place at 2:30 p.m., according to the Ukrainian Presidential Office.
10:08
The Belgian Prime Minister opens the door to not raising spending to 5%: If possible, we will try to achieve our military capability targets and spend less than 3.5%.
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever upon his arrival at the NATO summit // EFE
10:02
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says that we will decide that NATO will get 3.5% and the additional 1.5%.
10:01
Greek Prime Minister confirms that Greece will reach the threshold of over 3.5% defense spending by 2025
09:51
Ukraine's presidential office confirms a meeting between Trump and Zelensky for Wednesday.
09:32
The Belgian Prime Minister considers the proposal to increase spending to 3.5% over 10 years realistic.
09:32
NATO's lacemaking to support Zelensky without disrupting Trump's rapprochement with Putin
For the first time since the invasion of Ukraine began, President Volodymyr Zelensky's presence at a NATO summit has been in jeopardy. The Ukrainian president himself was reluctant to travel to The Hague in the absence of a clear commitment from Donald Trump to receive him. The special relationship between the latter and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, coupled with his peculiar style when approaching mediation, clearly makes Ukrainians uncomfortable and puts NATO itself in a difficult position, which is obliged to express its unrestricted support for the Ukrainians without at the same time upsetting the alliance's most important country. Enrique Serbeto, special envoy to The Hague, reports.
09:28
Norway and Finland reaffirm NATO's commitment to Article 5 of the Treaty
09:14
Estonia's prime minister says that until Putin changes his goals, he poses a serious threat to NATO.
09:05
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte greets two children who asked him a question during his opening remarks at the NATO summit.
09:00
The Hague summit highlights Spain's weak contribution to NATO.
Still in the wake of the brilliant US Operation Midnight Hammer, which disabled Iran's military nuclear program, the Atlantic Summit in The Hague opened fraught with uncertainty. Among the many items on the agenda, such as the weakening of nuclear deterrence, the war in Ukraine and the Russian threat, the strengthening of conventional deterrence, and cooperation (both inter-allied and with other international actors), defense spending stands out. General Pedro Pitarch's analysis.
08:45
Feijóo accuses Sánchez of inventing an agreement with NATO and calls it one of the biggest blunders of this government.
Alberto Núñez Feijóo harshly criticized the Prime Minister during his speech this Tuesday at the ABC Forum hosted by José Ballesta, Mayor of Murcia. The PP leader accused Pedro Sánchez of fabricating an agreement with NATO that didn't even last 24 hours and of using foreign policy as a smokescreen to cover up corruption. Emilio V. Escudero .
08:31
NATO leaders meet today in The Hague to agree on the 5%, despite opposition from Spain and pressure from Trump.
NATO leaders are meeting in The Hague this Wednesday for a summit focused on a single topic: the path to defense investment for the next decade. At this summit, all countries are expected to commit to the new spending threshold of 5% of GDP, which US President Donald Trump is demanding, despite opposition from Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who is calling for compliance with the Alliance's military requirements without adhering to a specific spending percentage.
08:27
Body: Spain does not expect repercussions because we will enforce our capabilities
08:25
The Dutch Prime Minister believes it is too early to talk about repercussions for Spain.
08:24
Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo: Spain will be a responsible NATO ally
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- NATO
- Donald Trump
- Mark Rutte
- Pedro Sánchez
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