Trump Heads to NATO Summit Demanding ‘Freeloading’ Allies Pay Their Fair Share

President Donald Trump departed for the annual NATO summit at The Hague on Tuesday, hoping to claim another major foreign policy victory as most NATO allies have already agreed to his demand to boost defense spending after the president called out the European nations for “freeloading” and taking advantage of American military protection.

NATO countries, except Spain, agreed in preliminary talks to increase defense spending to 5% of their gross domestic product, a significant increase from the previous 2% target that many allies struggled to meet.

The spending commitment is divided into two parts: 3.5% for traditional military spending, such as air defense and recruitment, while the remaining 1.5% can include infrastructure like roads and bridges that troops could use.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has resisted the spending increase, arguing that it would strain the country’s extensive welfare state.

“We fully respect the legitimate desire of other countries to increase their defence investment, but we are not going to do it,” Sanchez said. In 2024, Spain’s defense expenditure as a share of GDP stood at a measly 1.28%, the lowest of any NATO country. (Read more from “Trump Heads to NATO Summit Demanding ‘Freeloading’ Allies Pay Their Fair Share” HERE)