During a NATO meeting in Brussels, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth asserted that there is significant momentum toward achieving a 5% defense spending target among member nations.

The proposal, initially pushed by former President Donald Trump, was met with opposition from Spain’s Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, who expressed her concerns regarding the feasibility and necessity of such an increase.

Hegseth highlighted that several countries, including those from France, Germany, the Baltic states, Nordic nations, Poland, Greece, and Hungary, are on board with the proposed target, which he defined as comprising 3.5% in direct military spending and an additional 1.5% for related defense infrastructure and activities.

Robles emerged as the sole dissenting voice during discussions, resisting the push for a 5% target.

Spain's government, led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, is currently facing internal and external pressures to enhance military spending, particularly in light of geopolitical tensions with Russia.

In April, Sánchez announced an increase of €10.5 billion in military investments to meet the current NATO target of 2% of GDP by the end of the year.

Despite this commitment, Robles indicated that Spain lacks sufficient parliamentary support for any further increases beyond the 2% benchmark, which she argues is adequate for meeting Spain’s defense capability goals.

She emphasized that fixed percentage targets could be misleading given the changing circumstances nations face and suggested that fulfilling capability objectives is more critical than achieving specific spending percentages.

On the same day, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte ignored Robles' concerns and proposed that the 5% target be formalized at the upcoming NATO summit in The Hague on June 24-25. Rutte described a global investment plan aimed at reaching the 5% expenditure level, reiterating that almost consensus exists among member states regarding this threshold.

The timeline for realizing this new defense spending goal has not been finalized, although Rutte indicated aspirations for completion by 2032. NATO plans to require annual reports from all member states detailing their progress towards the 5% target.

Hegseth reiterated that all NATO countries must contribute to the 5% target in recognition of current security threats.

He asserted that NATO cannot rely solely on U.S. capabilities and emphasized the need for collective investment.

Sánchez faces a critical decision at the upcoming summit: to exercise a veto, which would require unanimous approval from all 32 NATO members, or to yield to the demands of Trump and Rutte, potentially provoking backlash from coalition partners and parliamentary allies.

However, Robles stated that Spain does not intend to use its veto power and remains hopeful for a compromise that accommodates all parties involved, focusing on dialogue rather than confrontation.