US President Donald Trump has threatened to double US tariffs on imports from Spain over its refusal to increase its defense spending, DPA reported.
Trump issued the warning after the end of the NATO summit in The Hague, where allied countries agreed to increase the funds they spend annually on their armies and military infrastructure to 5% of their GDP. The move is part of the alliance's largest rearmament program since the end of the Cold War.
However, Spain claims that it can fulfill its specific commitments to NATO without spending 5% of its GDP.
Trump described Madrid's position as "terrible". "Spain is the only country... that refuses to pay," the US president said. "I will not allow this... It is not fair," he continued. "We are negotiating a trade agreement with Spain. We will make them pay double. And I mean it, actually," Trump added.
Trump described the decision of NATO allies to spend 5% of GDP on defense and related spending by 2035 as a personal great success, DPA noted. "This is a monumental victory for the United States, because we have paid much more than our fair share," the US president said after the alliance summit in The Hague.
This is about the security of Europe and the world, he stressed.