Spain claims exemption after NATO agrees 5% spending deal

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  • Spain claims exemption after NATO agrees 5% spending deal

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced a deal with NATO exempting it from the alliance's five-percent of GDP target for defence spending as demanded by US President Donald Trump.

Multiple diplomats at NATO said the agreement had gone through with the approval of all 32 nations and that there was no exemption for Madrid. Spain has been one of the lowest-spending NATO countries on defence in relative terms. The country is only set to hit the alliance's current target of two percent this year after a 10-billion-euro injection.

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