Spain responds to Trump’s criticism and promises to join weapons purchases for Ukraine
Photo: Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez (Getty Images)
Spain responded to US criticism that the country is not spending enough on defense — below the 5% of GDP agreed at the NATO summit. Madrid also promised to contribute to funding weapons for Ukraine, according to a statement from Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, according to El País.
"We are fulfilling our duties and commitments, especially regarding defense capabilities," Sánchez said.
He reminded that despite the NATO agreement in June to spend 5% of GDP on defense, Spain agreed with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to fulfill its obligations at a level of 2.1% of GDP.
According to NATO estimates, this summer, Spain had already spent around 2% of its GDP on defense.
"Spain is a committed member of the North Atlantic Alliance," the Spanish Prime Minister added.
Sánchez also stated that Madrid will join joint arms purchases for Ukraine under the PURL program.
"I had the opportunity to speak with President Zelenskyy and informed him that Spain will join this program," the Prime Minister said in response to journalists’ questions.
Trump criticizes Spain
Over the past week, the US leader has publicly attacked Madrid three times. He said that "Spain is not a team player" and emphasized the country’s insufficient defense spending.
Trump is dissatisfied that Spain refuses to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP — the level agreed at the NATO summit in The Hague in June.
However, Madrid previously agreed with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to fulfill its obligations at a level of 2.1% of GDP. Spain considers that such a contribution "fully covers NATO’s needs."
As reported, Trump threatened Spain with penalties for failing to raise its defense spending to 5% of GDP.
Weapons purchases for Ukraine in the US
As is known, several NATO countries participate in purchasing weapons from the US for Ukraine at their own expense.
This mechanism is called PURL (Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List) because allies first buy and deliver the most urgent weapons for Ukraine, which are pre-approved in coordination with Kyiv.
Currently, more than half of NATO countries participate in the PURL program. According to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, until recently, only six countries were involved in the mechanism, but after the Ukraine Contact Group meeting, another 17 countries joined PURL.
The list of PURL member states includes the Netherlands, Germany, Canada, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and others.
As of October 2025, Ukraine has received weapons worth over $2.4 billion under the PURL initiative.
