SPAIN is sidelined from Europe’s new security framework, as European nations grow more cautious about relying on Trump’s United States.
In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and rising tensions in the Middle East, European nations are reshaping their defence landscape – but many worry that Spain is being left out.
France’s Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron announced plans to expand the nation’s nuclear arsenal on March 2.
He said that eight other European countries, including the UK and Germany, had committed to taking part in a nuclear deterrence strategy.
Spain is notably missing from the initiative.
Similarly, more than 160 new bilateral defence agreements have been signed between the UK, EU countries, and Ukraine – over half of them since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – yet Spain has not joined any.
It comes after Sanchez rejected President Trump’s calls for NATO allies to spend 5% of GDP on defence.
Eastern European NATO members, such as Poland and the Baltic states, interpreted Spain’s rejection of the 5% funding proposal as a worrying lack of solidarity at a critical time.
As a result, Spain has been sidelined in some high-profile discussions on European security.
Across Europe, there is increasing support for defence autonomy from NATO amid concern over Donald Trump’s ties with Vladimir Putin and US military interventions in Iran.
Notably, the ReArm Europe plan aims to mobilise €800 billion in defence spending and boost EU defense capabilities by 2030.
As Europe moves to strengthen its independent defence capabilities, many fear Spain faces the risk of being left on the sidelines of the continent’s evolving security landscape
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