U.S. President Donald Trump suggested excluding Spain from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. As Bloomberg reports, the U.S. president made this statement during a conversation with Finnish President Alexander Stubb.
"Honestly, maybe you should kick them out of NATO," he said.
Trump accused the country of underfunding its defense.
"Spain — you need to call them and find out why they are lagging behind... And they are doing well too, you know. Thanks to much of what we have done, they are doing well. They have no excuses not to do this. But that's okay," he said.
In response, the office of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez issued a statement emphasizing that "Spain is a full member of NATO and is committed to its principles. It fulfills its obligations just like the U.S. does."
No country has ever left NATO. And, as Bloomberg writes, despite Trump's statements, there is no simple way to expel a member. Any significant decision must be approved by all 32 members, although a country can leave on its own initiative — under pressure from the other alliance members.
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