Trump Criticized, PM Sanchez Affirms Spain Is A Partner That NATO Can Rely On

Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez/PHOTO via Instagram @sachezcastejon

JAKARTA - Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez insists Spain is a reliable partner in NATO.

This ruling was conveyed by Sanchez after US President Donald Trump criticized Spanyok for failing to make a financial contribution to the defense alliance.

Spain has increased defense spending by 70 percent in the last decade. While its investment of 30 percent in new equipment is above 20 percent required by NATO, Sanchez said in an interview for CNBC.

Sanchez also said the participation of the Spanish army in NATO operations was far above average.

"We are reliable partners and I think you should look wider to see if a country is committed or not to the security of NATO allies," Sanchez said.

NATO allies will discuss increasing defense spending needs from current targets by 2 percent of gross domestic product at a summit in The Hague this summer.

Trump insists these countries are increasing their contribution to 5 percent of GDP, a target that NATO members are currently unable to meet.

Spain spent 22.27 billion US dollars on defense by 2024, according to NATO data, which is the 10th largest absolute contribution among 31 NATO allies.

However, the number is estimated to reach 1.28 percent of the country's GDP, the lowest relatively. The US spent 3.38 percent of last year's GDP on defense, based on NATO's initial figures.

"Spain is very low," Trump said Monday when asked about his contribution to NATO.

But Trump also mistakenly stated that Spain is a member of the BRICS developing country group consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and others.