Spain has become a recurring topic that Donald Trump is asked about and that he talks about whenever he has the opportunity. Defense spending, specifically Pedro Sánchez's refusal to commit to spending 5% of GDP, sets the tone for the relationship. The US president criticizes this approach and has even suggested expelling our country from NATO, something that cannot materialize. Pedro Sánchez, who is in Brussels to participate in the European Council, has responded to the latest attacks:"President Trump knows that since I became President of the Government, we are not only fulfilling our obligations and capabilities, but we have also complied with the non-compliance of other administrations."

Since Sánchez expressed his rejection of spending 5% of GDP at the NATO summit last summer, as the US demands of the rest of its allies—although they too do not reach that percentage—Trump has sent several messages to Spain, five in the last 10 days. The last one this Wednesday, with the backdrop of a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, he insisted on his demands."Now [everyone] pays 5%, unlike before, when they didn't pay 2%. With the exception of Spain. I think you would have to talk to Spain. Spain is not playing as a team. So, apart from Spain, everyone is 100% in, and the Spanish problem could be solved very easily. I think you could."

He even did so in the presence of Sánchez himself, at the signing of the peace plan for Gaza in Sharm el-Sheikh (Egypt), when he said ironically:"Where is Spain? Are you trying to convince him about the GDP? We will come. You are doing a fantastic job."

The government maintains the position that Trump says one thing one day and another the next, and that, from their perspective, relations with the US are good and that the president's threats—he even threatened to derail our economy—have had no effect. Sánchez is seeking to shift the focus, to shift the spotlight from his refusal to spend the 5%, but rather on all the investment that has been made in recent years to reach the 2% target, which was the commitment made in 2014 under the government of Mariano Rajoy.

"In 2017, what we found was a Spain that only dedicated 0.9% of its GDP to its defense budget. We are a reliable country when it comes to NATO, and we are fulfilling our obligations, and these commitments are linked to our capabilities. This is what we agreed upon at the last NATO Council, and this is what we are fulfilling," was the message delivered by the Spanish president.

Despite this, in his meeting with Trump on Wednesday, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte indicated that he believes Spain cannot meet the Alliance's targets by investing less than 3.5% of GDP:"Spain has committed to meeting the capacity targets. They say 'we can do it with less than 3.5%'. I told them they couldn't, and we'll soon know who's right."

Purchase of weapons

Specifically, this Thursday it was announced that Spain has joined the PURL Alliance program (Ukraine Priority Requirements List), which involves purchasing weapons from the US to send to Ukraine. This matter was discussed in a telephone conversation last Tuesday between Sánchez and Volodymyr Zelensky - that same day, Defense Minister Margarita Robles also spoke with her Ukrainian counterpart."Ukraine has asked NATO member states for additional help to protect its cities and energy infrastructure from Russian bombing. Doing so before a new Russian offensive begins and the cold winter sets in is essential," government sources explain.

"We have, of course, been studying what joint purchases we can make over the past few weeks since the NATO initiative was launched," Sánchez explained upon his arrival at the European Council.

Our country is already sending electricity generators on its own, around 70 in total, and humanitarian aid, in addition to having signed a bilateral agreement that allocates €1 billion annually to Ukraine. In this case, to join the PURL program, as recognized by the Executive, equipment that Ukraine needs and that is currently produced mainly in North America. And that involves purchasing weapons from the US. The Government has not detailed the investment this decision will entail, but the expenditure will come from the 2.1% of GDP allocated to defense investment.