To bring Madrid on board, the new language that leaders will approve on Wednesday was changed from “we engage in” allies engage “to spend 5 percent on defense, said a NATO official. This would allow Spain to spend flexibility as long as it meets updated NATO skills objectives approved by the Alliance Defense Ministers on June 5.

In a statement on Sunday, Sánchez described the result as a “success”, which will allow Spain to “fulfill its commitments to the Atlantic Alliance and maintain its unity without having to increase protection costs to 5 percent of GDP”.

“Every member of NATO … has the right and the obligation to choose whether or not to take those sacrifices, and we as a sovereign country choose not to do so,” Sánchez said.

He added that Spain will spend 2.1 percent of its GDP on protection “to obtain and maintain all staff, equipment and infrastructures required by the Alliance to face these threats with our abilities”.

The request was originally raised by US President Donald Trump and will be confirmed by NATO leaders meeting in The Hague. | Photo pool by Carlos Barria through EPA

This view was confirmed by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in a Note to Sánchez: “I can confirm that the agreement in the next NATO summit will give Spain the flexibility to determine its sovereign path to achieve the intended purpose of the necessary skills and resources as part of GDP, and present its annual plans.”

He added that the Alliance will review its spending trajectory in 2029.