The disputes between Trump and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez began at the summit in The Hague at the end of June when Sánchez announced Madrid's unwillingness to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP. The U.S. President noted that he insisted on this requirement, adding: "Most people thought it was impossible, but it happened almost unanimously, except for one laggard — Spain."
During a conversation in the Oval Office, Trump expressed dissatisfaction and suggested excluding Spain from the alliance. "It's funny that, despite everything we've done, they are doing just fine. They have no excuses for not meeting the requirements. Maybe it's worth kicking them out of NATO," he stated.
Trump had previously emphasized that the U.S. does not intend to continue ensuring Europe's security if NATO countries do not make a fair contribution to defense.
During the meeting, they also discussed a deal for the sale of 11 medium icebreakers to Finland, worth about $6.1 billion. The first ship is expected to be delivered by 2028, as Finland seeks to strengthen its defense capabilities, having the longest land border with Russia in the EU.
Additionally, Trump and Stubbs discussed the possibility of the U.S. President receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. Trump noted: "I made seven deals, and now this will be the eighth. I stopped wars, one of which lasted 31 years, another 34 years, a third 35 years, and the fourth 10 years. But the Nobel Committee will have to decide what to do. I'm not doing this for the award, but to save lives."
