Spain has officially dropped its plan to buy F-35 fighter jets, according to a report by the Spanish newspaper El Pais. These ...

Spain is not the only sceptic among NATO’s ranks. Slovakia, while less vocal, has also expressed ambiguity towards the 5% threshold. President Peter Pellegrini formally backed the target in The Hague, ...

Earlier on Sunday, diplomats said NATO’s 32 member states had agreed on a summit statement setting a 5% of GDP target for annual defense and security spending by 2035, despite Spain’s objections.

NATO's commitment to spend five percent of GDP on defense by 2035 was meant to unify the alliance, but it's revealing ...

Despite the need to modernize, Spain shelves F-35 plans, leaving its Navy without a STOVL replacement. The purchase of F-35 ...

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speaks during a press conference after the plenary session at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber) ...

NATO is absolutely convinced that Spain will have to spend 3.5% to get there,” Rutte added. Sanchez’s antics threatened to derail the summit.

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speaks during a press conference after the plenary session at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber) ...

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speaks during a press conference after the plenary session at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday, June 25, 2025.

Spain was NATO’s lowest spender last year, according to the alliance’s estimates, spending around 1.28% of its GDP on defense expenditure.