Domestic political constraints will limit Spain's room for increased military spending, which could deepen trade tensions with the United States and limit Spanish participation in any European peace plans for Ukraine. In an interview with a Spanish newspaper published on March 19, Spain's Economy Minister, Carlos Cuerpo, said that Madrid will increase military spending without cutting social spending. According to Cuerpo, the combination of high economic growth, EU financing and ''flexibility in our fiscal rules'' will enable Madrid to honor a promise to its NATO partners to increase military spending in the coming years. These statements came after Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on March 13 that Spain would not cut social spending ''even a cent'' to increase military spending....
