Spain will meet goal to spend 2% of GDP in defense, PM says

FILE PHOTO: Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speaks during a joint press conference with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa, and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis via videolink, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, at Villa Madama in Rome, Italy, March 18, 2022. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane/File Photo

Spain will meet the goal of spending 2% of its economic output in defense as requested by NATO within a multi-annual period, Spain's Prime Minister said on Monday.

"Spain will meet its 2% defense spending target within a multi-annual period," he said on Monday.

NATO member countries have committed to defense spending at 2 percent of GDP.

Several European countries, including Germany, Poland and Denmark, have increased military spending in response to the Ukraine crisis.

(Reporting by Emma Pinedo, Belen Carreño; Editing by Jesús Aguado)