Spain PM Sanchez Defends NATO Reliability After Reported US Ouster Threat
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Friday declared Spain a reliable NATO member following reports that the United States had raised the prospect of expelling Madrid from the alliance over disagreements on defence spending and policy alignment. Sanchez's statement was a direct rebuttal to the reported pressure from Washington.
The episode reflects widening strains within the NATO alliance as the Trump administration maintains its aggressive posture on burden-sharing among member states. Spain has been among the alliance members that have not consistently met the 2% of GDP defence spending threshold set by NATO.
Sanchez, speaking publicly, pushed back firmly against the reported threat, asserting that Spain fulfils its treaty obligations and contributes meaningfully to collective defence. The Spanish government has not confirmed the full details of the reported US communication.
The development adds to growing turbulence within the Western alliance at a moment of acute global security stress, with the Iran-US conflict placing additional strain on transatlantic cohesion and alliance management.
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