Trump Proposes Expelling Spain from NATO.. What is Happening in the Halls of the Atlantic Alliance?

In a new development that highlights the tension within NATO, U.S. President Donald Trump proposed on Thursday to expel Spain from the alliance due to what he described as "its failure to meet the defense spending requirements" set by NATO at 5% of GDP.

During a press conference at the White House, Trump said:

> "We have one member who is slacking, it's Spain. They have no excuse for not achieving that, but that's okay, maybe they should be expelled from NATO frankly".


Trump's statement comes in the wake of the annual NATO summit hosted by the Netherlands last June, where members pledged to allocate at least 5% of their GDP to defense, a move that was considered a response to Washington's ongoing pressure to increase European military spending.

According to a report by the British Times, NATO is experiencing an unprecedented internal crisis since Trump's return to power, amid signs of escalating tension between Washington and several European capitals.

The newspaper reported that Trump's "reckless" behavior led to the cancellation of funding for military exercises for the Baltic states and the suspension of temporary intelligence support for Ukraine, raising concerns about the U.S. commitment to European security.

The report also noted that the speech by Vice President J.D. Vance, in which he attacked "European liberals," deepened the divide across the Atlantic, at a time when the security challenges facing the alliance are increasing, primarily the Russian-Ukrainian war and the accelerating Chinese expansion.

Observers believe that Trump's recent statements are not just criticism of Spain, but represent a new test of the alliance's unity, especially after his previous threats to withdraw tens of thousands of U.S. troops from Europe, or even to strike a strategic deal with Russia that would reduce NATO's influence.

Some analysts compare the current crisis to the "worst existential crisis" for the alliance since the Suez Crisis in 1956, as these developments put the future of the world's most important defense alliance in existential questions:
Can NATO withstand Trump's political storms, or has the disintegration phase already begun?