Spain says it will meet Nato’s defence spending goal of 2% of GDP this year

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said his government would raise defence spending by 10.5 billion euros.

By contributor Associated Press Reporter
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Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said it was time for Spain to ‘take control of our own destiny’ (Ng Han Guan/AP)

Spain will meet Nato’s defence spending target this year, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has said.

The news comes as pressure grows on the eurozone’s fourth-largest economy to boost its military expenditure.

Mr Sanchez said the government would raise defence spending by 10.5 billion euros (£9 billion) to reach Nato’s target of 2% of GDP.

The spending would go towards telecommunications, cybersecurity and buying military equipment, he said, as well as raising salaries and adding troops.