NATO countries have postponed the increase in military spending to 5% of GDP until 2035

All NATO countries agreed to sign the final statement of the NATO summit on increasing targeted military spending from 2% to 5% of gross domestic product (GDP), but only by 2035. This was reported by the Reuters news agency on June 22.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez blocked an earlier version of the text, saying a commitment to reach the 5% target would be unwise and counterproductive. According to NATO estimates, Spain spent 1.24% of GDP on defense in 2024.

The diplomats overcame Sanchez's objections by correcting the text of the spending pledge, changing the wording from "we commit" to "allies commit," the diplomats said. This allowed Sanchez to declare that the obligation would not apply to Spain," the publication clarifies.

At the same time, the EFE news agency said that Sanchez and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte exchanged letters and agreed that Spain would not be required to allocate more than 2% of its GDP to military spending.

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Yle TV and radio company reported on June 7 that representatives of Finnish parties in opposition opposed the government's plans to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP. In their opinion, due to the growth of military spending, the social security sector may suffer.