Spain gives up buying American F-35 planes

Spain has withdrawn from plans to buy F-35 fighter planes produced by American aviation giant Lockheed Martin.

The government had predicted in the budget for 2023 the 6.25 billion euros for the purchase of new combat planes, writes El Pais.

However, the Spanish government plan that most of the additional 10.5 billion euros destined for protection this year spent in Europe has been unable to purchase US-made warplanes, the article says.

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez had announced earlier this year plans to increase defence spending.

All of this with the aim of achieving NATO's current two percent domestic production goal of Bruto, but later, during the June summit, he refused to raise these expenses to five percent.

Sanchezi's stance was sharply criticised by US President Donald Trump, who threatened with setting additional tariffs for goods from this country.