The Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, has attended the meeting of her counterparts within the context of the NATO inter-ministerial. In a meeting chaired by the Secretary-General of the Organization, Mark Rutte, the negotiation for peace in Ukraine has been the main topic of discussion, but Robles also wanted to address the issue of Defense spending. At a time when Spain stands alone, along with seven other countries that do not reach the committed 2% of GDP investment in Defense, the minister has once again justified Spain and reiterated the spending commitment.
"I have insisted that Spain is a serious and reliable ally, always fulfilling its duties and will continue to fulfill its commitments," Robles stated to the media. The minister pointed out that "we have four thousand men and women deployed in troops" and reiterated that "Spain as a country and ally will fulfill its commitments taking into account something that is worth clarifying: Spain firmly believes in peace, in security," she reiterated. It was then when the minister expressed the message she often repeats: "Talking about Defense spending is talking about spending on peace, it is not correct to talk about armament spending, security spending encompasses much more than spending on weapons, it involves spending in many areas."
This statement comes a month after the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, stated during the Ambassadors' Conference that "the world has more urgent priorities to address, and nowhere is it written that peace and security are achieved by strengthening arsenals," he explained. Now his minister seems to publicly respond that increasing Defense spending entails other things, such as more personnel, more industry for Spain, or, for example, more jobs.
If Defense spending is a point of friction within the Spanish Government itself, internationally, the interests of the United States and the European Union may clash with Spain. Thus, Robles explained that Trump's Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, "has talked about the danger of China," but although she is aware that "it may be a priority for them," the minister stated that "in a globalized world, Russia is the major threat Europe and the global world face."
It is worth noting that while Europe increases tariffs on Chinese electric cars, Spain is strengthening relations with the Asian giant. Just last November, Sánchez entertained the President of the Chinese National Assembly during his visit to Spain, where they made progress on electric cars that the country will produce in Spain, while the EU imposes tariffs on them. The clearest evidence of the government's interest in strengthening relations with Xi will come next November when King Felipe and Queen Letizia undertake a State visit to the country, thus distancing Spain from European and U.S. interests.