Spain will meet Nato’s defence spending target this year, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has said.
The news comes as pressure grows on the eurozone’s fourth-largest economy to boost its military expenditure.
Mr Sanchez said the government would raise defence spending by 10.5 billion euros (£9 billion) to reach Nato’s target of 2% of GDP.
The spending would go towards telecommunications, cybersecurity and buying military equipment, he said, as well as raising salaries and adding troops.
If you asked me years ago about my government's investment priorities in security and defence, it's obvious my response would have been different. That's not because our values have changed ... it's because the world has
Spain spent the least of all Nato members last year on defence as a share of GDP. It previously committed to reaching the 2% target by 2029. But it has come under pressure for not spending enough amid a widening chasm in the transatlantic alliance as the Trump administration says its security priorities lie elsewhere.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly taken European allies to task for not spending enough on their own defence and has pushed Nato allies to raise defence spending to up to 5% of GDP.
Facing what he called a “changing era”, Mr Sanchez said it was time for Spain to “take control of our own destiny” and contribute to Europe’s rearmament.
“If you asked me years ago about my government’s investment priorities in security and defence, it’s obvious my response would have been different,” Mr Sanchez said.
“That’s not because our values have changed … it’s because the world has.”
The Socialist leader heads a minority government with hard-left coalition partners that oppose defence and military increases.
Mr Sanchez said his plan to boost defence spending would not go through Parliament.
