Spain's leader sticks by decision to break with NATO spending goal despite Trump tariff threats

MADRID -- Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez walked distant from this week's NATO acme with an opt-out from spending much connected defense. He besides near with caller threats of tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump.

On Thursday, the progressive Spanish person stuck by his determination to interruption with NATO allies and responded to Trump's comments by pointing retired that the European Commission — and not Spain — was who decided the bloc's commercialized policy.

“What is wide is that commercialized argumentation is simply a argumentation directed from here, from Brussels,” Sánchez said. "Spain is an unfastened country. It is simply a state that is affable to its friends, and we see the United States a person of Spain.”

At the military alliance's summit Wednesday, members agreed to rise their defence spending to 5% of GDP. But Sánchez secured a last-minute exemption, saying that Spain volition lone walk up to 2.1%, which helium called “sufficient and realistic.”

Trump criticized Spain aft the summit, saying the state wanted “a small spot of a escaped ride,” and that it would “have to wage it backmost to america connected trade" done higher tariffs.

How Sánchez's gamble could play retired was up for statement connected Thursday.

“It is not ever casual to construe precisely what Mr. Trump means,” Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever told reporters astatine an EU summit. “How helium wants to enforce import tariffs connected Spain separately is simply a enigma to everyone. Could this possibly interest circumstantial products from Spain? We volition person to hold and see.”

Spain's determination connected the planetary signifier comes astatine a analyzable infinitesimal for Sánchez astatine location arsenic corruption cases involving his interior ellipse person ensnared his Socialist enactment and resulted successful louder calls — adjacent from immoderate leftwing allies — to denote aboriginal elections. So far, Sánchez has refused.

“To Trump's theatre, Sánchez responds with thing similar," said Montserrat Nebrera, governmental expert and prof of law instrumentality astatine the International University of Catalonia. “Domestic problems are piling up, and this absorption to gathering the arbitrary 5% people besides seeks to wink astatine his partners astir captious of defence spending."

Spain was NATO's lowest spender past year, according to the alliance's estimates, spending astir 1.28% of its GDP connected defence expenditure. In April, Sánchez announced that the state would scope 2% this year, for which helium was criticized by immoderate leftwing allies.

On Thursday, Antonio Garamendi, president of the Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations, criticized Sánchez for the spending opt-out.

“We person to instrumentality with with our allies and not going on with the different Europeans is an error, and adjacent much truthful if that increases the accidental we volition beryllium punished,” Garamendi said.

While Spain is nether the umbrella of the European Union, which negotiates commercialized deals connected behalf of each 27 subordinate countries, it could inactive beryllium targeted by tariffs that deed its astir susceptible industries, Garamendi said.

Spanish steel, cars and olive lipid sectors are among the exposed products.

“There are industries that tin beryllium impacted, and that has to interest us,” helium added.

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Wilson reported from Barcelona. AP writer Lorne Cook contributed from Brussels.