Pedro Sanchez Torbidos NATO unit on the eve of the decisive summit

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The cancellation of the subscription to Spain from a pledge from NATO, provided that the members will spend 5 percent of GDP to defend efforts to show unity before the summit of leaders that were aimed at wasting US President Donald Trump.

Poland warned on Monday that Spain’s private treatment was “unjustified” and “harmful to the coalition unit”, while Belgium said it was planning equal treatment – increasing the possibility of the gathering gathering on Tuesday in The Hague to go down.

Trump asked everything NATO Members to spend 5 percent of GDP on defense, otherwise it risk losing US security guarantees.

NATO Secretary -General Mark Retty spent months securing unanimous support for this pledge, until he divided the total target into 3.5 percent of GDP of basic military expenditures and 1.5 percent for investment adjacent to infrastructure and cybersecurity by 2035.

But Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced on Sunday that he had obtained a deal with NATO that allowed Madrid to withdraw from the 5 percent spending goal, which Sanchez said, “It protects Spain’s sovereignty while ensuring the success of the NATO summit.”

Two officials involved in the negotiations said that the cancellation of Sanchez’s participation depends on a change in the NATO statement from “we” to “allies” in the sentence, in reference to the pledge to spend 5 percent of the gross domestic product on the defense by 2035.

Sanchez has committed to spending only 2.1 percent of Spain’s GDP to defense, making European spending in Spain, likely countries such as Italy, Belgium and Portugal are likely to struggle to achieve the goal of 5 percent.

NATO Secretary -General Mark Retty wrote to Sanchez on Sunday granting “flexibility” Madrid to spend as long as it meets the so -called power goals that the coalition estimated will cost 5 percent of GDP over the next decade. NATO included basic military spending, such as weapons, wages for soldiers, as well as investment in infrastructure and cyber.

On Monday, Roti defended this arrangement, and told reporters: “We are in an alliance in which we are fighting together, and if necessary, where we also suffer and die together for our collective defense … Spain also agreed with the goals (power).”

“Any criticism of Spain is unjustified,” Polish Defense Secretary WłDysłAw Kosiniak-Kamysz, who is also the Deputy Prime Minister, told the Financial Times.

The Polish minister said: “All countries must bear the burden on the coalition jointly, adding:“ Conducting any exceptions harmful to the alliance unit and I support reaching 5 percent as soon as possible. ”

Poland is the largest defense in NATO, equivalent to 4.7 percent of GDP allocated to military expenditures this year.

Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed on Monday that NATO countries are pushing a “rude lie” that Moscow plans to attack the coalition in an attempt to stir “global militarization and arms race” by “going out with this frightening story itself and repeating it year after year,” according to Interfax.

Officials from other NATO countries also said that Sanchez’s exemption threatened to take out the summit, given that other countries could require similar treatment.

A person familiar with the matter said that Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wayer will raise the case at the top.

The person added: “It is still completely unclear what this exemption means, but there is a need for clarity because () the same rules apply to everyone.”

“The Belgium’s position is that the NATO countries have agreed to a text that applies equally to everyone,” said a Di Wifer spokesman.

“This historic moment in the alliance will require all 32 allies committed to exerting more effort,” the American Ambassador at NATO Matthew Whitker told reporters about the pledge, without referring to Spain. “I expect the allies to be more vigilant to hold each other accountable.”

A conservative opposition member in Spain suggested that Sanchez was
Looking for “Volodymyr) the moment of Zelenskyy, referring to the general clash of the Ukrainian president with Trump at the Oval Office earlier this year.

The opposition member added that the Spanish Prime Minister seeks to strengthen his local political place as he faces a spiral of allegations of corruption against his internal circle and his family.

Additional reports by Max Sidon in Berlin