Pedro Sánchez creates tensions with NATO to please his most pro-Russian partners

For the Spanish socialist leader, nothing is more important than his personal interests: neither the security of Spain nor the security of Europe.

Pedro Sánchez's real reason for rejecting the 5% of GDP for defense: himself
Pedro Sánchez and his parliamentary partners boycott Spain's defense policy

A government weakened by corruption and dependent on far-left parties

Pedro Sánchez is cornered by corruption scandals affecting his personal entourage (his wife and brother), his attorney general, and the last two general secretaries of his party, the PSOE. Under these conditions, his government is politically very weak and depends more than ever on its communist partners (Sumar and Podemos) and separatist (Junts, ERC, Bildu, PNV, and BNG). Of the latter, ERC, Bildu, and the BNG are far-left parties as hostile to NATO as Sumar and Podemos.

The NATO summit being held this week in The Hague is expected to agree on a common target of 5% of GDP for defense and security investment. Sánchez is already having an extremely difficult time convincing his far-left partners to support the current commitment of 2% of GDP. The Spanish socialist leader knows that he won't have the support of communists and separatists to raise that investment to 5%, and that now, with his allies interested in distancing themselves from a government riddled with corruption, this could serve as an excuse for the far left to bring down Sánchez's government and attract the most radical voters of the Socialist Party.

Sánchez puts his alliance with pro-Russian parties above Spain's security

With such a weak government, a responsible leader would put the security of his country and Europe before his personal interests and would call elections so that a government with more solid support can face these challenges. Sánchez does the opposite: he puts his personal interests before the security of Spain and Europe, and he does so in order not to lose the support of the parties that most favor Russia's interests in Spain: let us remember that Izquierda Unida (today Sumar) and Podemos were the most pro-Russian Spanish parties in the previous European legislature, and today they continue to display their rhetoric against NATO: yesterday Podemos demanded that Sánchez leave the Atlantic Alliance.

This situation explains the letter Sánchez sent to NATO on Thursday rejecting the 5% target, despite acknowledging that Vladimir Putin's Russia is an "existential threat." Ultimately, the only real concern motivating this letter is Sánchez's desire to stay in power at any price, even by breaking NATO's unity precisely at a time when the allies should show greater cohesion and solidarity in the face of this common threat, against which the European countries bordering Russia are already investing a considerable portion of their GDP in defense.

Sánchez announces that NATO will exempt Spain from the 5% objective

As if that letter weren't enough, yesterday Sánchez made an announcement stating that he had reached a "historic agreement" with NATO that exempted Spain from reaching that 5% target. Sánchez stated that our country would only have to reach 2.1%. Obviously, this is displaying a privilege that is openly unfair to others, and if such an agreement existed, it would threaten to thwart the common goal of 5% and put NATO unity at risk.

Foreign media indicate that Sánchez's announcement is a lie

Following Sánchez's announcement, several media outlets have denied this alleged agreement. Politico.com has noted: "Spain threw up a last-minute roadblock to the new spending target, but gave way after being granted flexibility." This media outlet adds:

Likewise, France24 noted: "Multiple diplomats at NATO said the agreement had gone through with the approval of all 32 nations and that there was no exemption for Madrid." This French media outlet notes that the letter sent by Sánchez to NATO on Thursday "sparked fury from other NATO members who feared it could derail the carefully crafted compromise.." Likewise, from the United Kingdom, Sky News has noted that "Spain remains a potential problem for alliance unity though", adding that "Spain allocated a mere 1.24% of its GDP to defence last year - and is one of the lowest defence spenders in the alliance as a ratio of GDP."

Furthermore, El Mundo has pointed out: "The North Atlantic Treaty Organization itself maintains that, in reality, the target remains 5% of GDP. That Spain will indeed have to increase spending to that level to meet all the capacities required of it, while the Government maintains that 2.1% will be sufficient".

To further fuel the controversy, yesterday Sánchez published a letter sent to him by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, in an attempt to prove the alleged agreement signed with the Alliance. However, the second paragraph of the letter denies the agreement announced by Sánchez:

"In light of your letter, I can hereby confirm that the agreement at the upcoming NATO Summit will give Spain the flexibility to determine its own sovereign path for reaching the Capability Target goal and the annual resources necessary as a share of GDP, and to submit its own annual plans."

This does not mean that Spain is exempt from the common 5% target, but rather that it will be able to choose the steps necessary to reach that goal. The letter demonstrates that Sánchez lied yesterday when he said he had agreed to a 2.1% target, a figure not mentioned in Rutte's letter. Obviously, Sánchez's lie is an attempt to force NATO to play along with the socialist leader, under threat of straining the Alliance if the other member countries reject the Spanish president's unsupportive attitude. Once again, and just as he is doing with the huge purchases of Russian gas by Spain while prohibiting its extraction on Spanish territory, Sánchez is doing Putin a great favor. One day we will know if he does it by mere coincidence or for something more.

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Photo: Europa Press. Pedro Sánchez with then-Podemos ministers Irene Montero and Ione Belarra at a public event held on July 6, 2022, in Madrid.