Rubio calls for 5% military spending, and Albares reminds him of Spain’s “enormous effort” to reach 2%

Eduardo González Defense spending, tariffs, and bilateral relations were the focus of the first bilateral meeting in Washington this Thursday between Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. During this meeting, the US representative again called for an increase in military spending to 5% of GDP, and the Spanish Foreign Minister highlighted the "enormous effort" Spain is making to reach 2%. "There have been no specific requests from either of them, nor from me; it has been more of an exchange," Albares told reporters at the end of the meeting. “During the conversation, it became clear that we are two natural, historic allies, with many decades of joint work, with very solid interests of all kinds: economic, commercial, investment, cultural, and linguistic, and that we are two fundamental European and North American allies, both for our security and our prosperity,” he continued. During the meeting, Marco Rubio once again called on Spain to increase its defense spending to five percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), a proposal that the United States will present to the next NATO Summit in June. In this regard, Albares explained that he had “highlighted” to Rubio “the enormous effort that Spain has made to reach that two percent of spending and the effort that Spain is also making to secure the Eastern Flank (of NATO), with a deployment that is the largest in its history, with 2,300 soldiers who are currently guaranteeing the security of all Europeans,” Albares explained. “There has been an exchange, and each party has expressed their points of view very clearly,” he continued. “I have insisted that it has been an enormous effort to achieve that 2 percent and that the debate at this time must focus on capabilities, and the United States' position is also well known,” he added. Regarding the 20 percent tariffs approved by President Donald Trump against EU products (and, obviously, Spain), Albares told Rubio “that the trade relationship between the United States and Europe was mutually beneficial and had guaranteed decades of prosperity.” “What we want is for it to continue this way, and if there are any differences, of course, they can be resolved through dialogue and negotiation,” the minister explained. As expected, Albares and Rubio also addressed the issue of the war in Gaza. In this regard, the minister insisted on his “absolute rejection” of Israel's current military offensive. “There is no military objective at this time that justifies it; everything we see is beyond the realm of possibility, and we all have to do something in our power to stop this war,” he declared. "The United States is a very important country, fundamental in the world with great political and diplomatic access," the minister added, regarding the need to pressure Israel. According to State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce, Secretary Rubio "acknowledged and thanked" Spain for fulfilling its previous pledge to reach 2 percent defense spending by 2025, but emphasized that more must be done. He also acknowledged "Spain's strong cooperation in combating illegal immigration" and highlighted "President Trump's decisive action to address our trade deficit with the EU." Both leaders agreed on "the urgency of ending the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East." First Meeting This is the first direct meeting between Albares and Rubio since the latter took office on January 21. The two ministers held their initial online conversation on April 2, in which they discussed, among other issues, Spain-United States relations, the importance of the transatlantic bond, dialogue and cooperation in security and trade, and ties with Latin America, according to Albares himself on social media. Up to that point, the secretary had already spoken in person or by telephone with around 100 counterparts or leaders from different countries, but had not yet met with his Spanish counterpart. Albares and Rubio met physically at the Munich Security Conference, held from February 14 to 16, and at the NATO ministerial meeting in the first week of April, but there were no bilateral meetings at either meeting.

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