Amid reports that Spain may be exempted from NATO’s commitment of 5% military spending, Lithuanian Defence Minister Dovilė Šakalienė insists the summit declaration does not include any exceptions.
“I don’t see any exemptions in the text,” Šakalienė told reporters at Vilnius Airport.
Her comments follow reports that, ahead of this week’s summit, NATO member states have agreed on a commitment to raise defence spending to 5% of GDP with an exception for Spain.
Several diplomats said Sunday that under the deal, expected to be announced at the NATO summit in The Hague, allies pledge to allocate 3.5% of GDP to core military needs and an additional 1.5% to broader security-related expenses over the next decade.
“It looks like there will be agreement, but I prefer to wait until everything has actually happened and then confirm the outcome,” Šakalienė added on Monday.
“It’s critically important that the NATO alliance sends a single, unified strategic message that significant and rapid defence spending is seen as a priority,” she added.
However, the minister said NATO members differ on the timeline for reaching that spending level.
“Lithuania believes 2030 is the latest deadline to achieve this. Other countries have different views, but we’ll continue to firmly state our arguments,” she said.
Diplomats said all 32 NATO members approved the spending deal and that no exemptions were granted to Spain. However, minutes after those statements, Spain itself disputed the claim.
Last week, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said a NATO target of 5% for the military would be unrealistic for his country. He said each member must invest different amounts to meet their military goals, with Spain’s military calculating that 2.1 percent would be sufficient.
On Sunday, Sanchez confirmed Spain had reached an agreement with NATO under which it would not be required to meet the 5% threshold.
The NATO summit in The Hague, where the agreement is expected to be formally adopted in the summit declaration, will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
