Catégorie oBox : OBOXMA
Donald Trump recently threatened Spain, a NATO ally, with punitive tariffs if it fails to raise its military defense spending to 5% of GDP, even going so far as to warn that he could «throw them out of NATO.»
Trump said he was «very unhappy with Spain», adding that he was considering «trade punishment through tariffs because of what they did, and I think I may do that», referring to the fact that Spain was the only NATO ally that did not commit to a significant increase in military expenditures.
«We are committed to the defense, to the security of NATO and, at the same time, we are equally committed to the defense of our welfare state.»
More than enough
According to The New York Times, Spain’s military spending currently stands at only 1.3 percent of GDP, the lowest among all NATO members, though Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has pledged to raise it to 2 percent by the end of 2025, still far below the 5 percent target demanded by Trump since his return to the White House.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez responded to the American president’s threats, saying in an interview that Spain was already doing «more than enough.» Sánchez added that: «We are committed to the defense, to the security of NATO and, at the same time, we are equally committed to the defense of our welfare state.»
«Very unhappy with Spain.»
-Donald Trump
The European Commission, responding to Trump’s threat against Spain, stated that the country will be protected against any attempt by the U.S. president to impose punitive tariffs in retaliation for its refusal to meet NATO’s 5% defense spending target.
«We will respond appropriately, as we always do, to any measures taken against one or more of our member states.»
Unbelievably disrespectful
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Donald Trump said the situation was clear and called Spain’s deliberate failure to meet its NATO target «unbelievably disrespectful», adding «I think unbelievably disrespectful, Spain, the only one out of all the countries in NATO, the only (one) that said that is Spain. And I think they should be punished for that, yes.»
According to Euronews, Olof Gill, the European Commission’s spokesperson for trade, responded to Trump’s attempt to disrupt European trade relations, stating that «We will respond appropriately, as we always do, to any measures taken against one or more of our member states.»
Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that he had ordered a sixth strike on a boat off the coast of Venezuela, saying that, under his authority as Commander-in-Chief, the Secretary of War had carried out a «lethal kinetic strike» on a vessel he described as being linked to a designated terrorist organization involved in narcotrafficking in the U.S. Southern Command’s area of responsibility.
Trump claims that «six male narcoterrorists aboard the vessel» were killed in the strike led by Pete Hegseth, an assertion made without evidence, as noted by several media outlets, including The New York Times.
Nearly 30 deaths
This sixth U.S. military operation targeting boats allegedly transporting drugs toward the United States has resulted in nearly 30 deaths among suspected criminals.
In his Truth Social post, Trump claimed that U.S. intelligence had confirmed the vessel «was trafficking narcotics, was associated with illicit narcoterrorist networks, and was transiting along a known DTO route.»
«Indications show that the last boat bombed was Colombian, with Colombian citizens inside it»
The disputed target of America’s fifth strike off Venezuela
Several observers have challenged the president’s repeated claims since the beginning of these strikes against the cartels, questioning whether all those targeted were in fact narcotraffickers.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro recently stated that «indications show that the last boat bombed was Colombian, with Colombian citizens inside it», asserting that the fifth vessel struck by the United States off Venezuela’s coast did not belong to Venezuela but to Colombia.
The White House dismissed Petro’s claim as «baseless and reprehensible», rejecting the Colombian president’s assertion that the vessel struck by the United States was Colombian and carried Colombian citizens.
Trump concluded his post by confirming the deaths of everyone aboard the boat, writing that «the strike was conducted in international waters, and six male narcoterrorists aboard the vessel were killed in the strike. No U.S. forces were harmed.»
