Newsletters
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez arrived in Ankara on Tuesday for the NATO summit, pledging that his country would meet the alliance's defense requirements without scaling back social spending.
In a post on X, Sanchez said Spain would continue "fulfilling the capabilities required by the Alliance without cutting a single centimeter from our welfare state." He added that he reached the Turkish capital "with the certainty" that European security is built through the unity of NATO allies.
"Security and prosperity. Both can and should go hand in hand," Sanchez wrote.
The remarks place Sanchez among a group of European leaders navigating mounting pressure from NATO partners, most prominently the United States, to boost defense budgets toward and beyond the alliance's two-percent-of-GDP benchmark.
Spain has historically ranked among the lower spenders within NATO, a point of recurring friction within the bloc.
Sanchez's comments signal his government's intention to expand defense capabilities through means other than cuts to public services, though he offered no specifics on how Madrid plans to reconcile the two goals.
The NATO summit in Ankara brings together allied heads of state and government to address defense commitments, burden-sharing, and the broader security landscape in Europe.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
2 min read
