(MENAFN) US President Donald Trump has called for Spain to be expelled from NATO due to its failure to reach the new 5% defense expenditure goal. Trump, who led the initiative to raise the spending target, claimed he secured the agreement during the NATO summit held in June.

During a meeting with Finnish President Alexander Stubb in the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump spoke about the issue. He proudly stated that NATO members agreed to the updated spending goal “virtually unanimously.”

He singled out Spain, saying, “We had one laggard. It was Spain,” and emphasized that “they have no excuse not to do this.”

Trump went further by suggesting, “Maybe you should throw them out of NATO, frankly.”

Throughout his presidency, Trump has frequently criticized NATO members for not sharing the military spending responsibilities fairly.

Since resuming office in January, he has increased pressure on European allies to boost their defense budgets.

This push reached its peak at the June summit in The Hague, where NATO members pledged to raise their defense expenditure to 5% of their GDP annually by 2035. Trump described the event as “the most unified and productive in history.”

However, not every NATO country welcomed the new target. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico expressed after the summit that Slovakia can meet NATO’s demands without a significant rise in defense spending, citing his administration’s focus on “other priorities.”

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