Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez defended Spain’s NATO contributions after former U.S. President Donald Trump criticized its low defense spending.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum, Sánchez highlighted Spain’s 70% defense spending increase over the last decade, making it NATO’s 10th-largest contributor by absolute terms.

However, Spain’s defense budget of $21.3 billion in 2024 equated to just 1.28% of its GDP—the lowest among NATO members and below the 2% target, Politico has reported.

Trump, who wants NATO members to raise spending to 5% of GDP, mistakenly linked Spain to the BRICS group during his remarks.

Written by B.C. Begley