All NATO nations agree on increased defense spending, Lithuania’s DM says

Lithuania’s Minister of National Defense Dovile Sakaliene stated this in an interview with Ukrinform.

“I think that everyone agreed that high defense spending, significantly higher and immediately is a necessity. What we are facing is domestic policy issues, domestic policy challenges, which are reflected on the global agenda,” Sakaliene said.

The minister added that various economic processes and political decisions by different governments in Europe often influence the speed and scale of defense investments.

“Defense ministers understand that Russia is a looming threat over Europe and that we have to respond by very visible, objective actions, by significant increase in our troops, significant increase in the capacity of defense industry, significant increase in training areas, significant increase in weapons and equipment acquisitions... The question now is the speed — and that comes down to political will and negotiations,” she emphasized.

To persuade societies about the need to increase defense spending, she believes it's crucial to communicate a clear message — that there is no such thing as a “safe” part of Europe anymore. The difference between a country on NATO’s eastern or northern flank — like the Baltic states, Poland, or Finland — and a country in southern Europe is only five minutes in the case of a ballistic missile strike.

According to her, Lithuania considers 5% of GDP for defense to be the minimum target that should be reached as soon as possible.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, the NATO summit in The Hague is ongoing, with key topics including increased defense spending, strengthening NATO countries' defense industry capabilities, and continued support for Ukraine.