Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene has resigned after a contentious dispute with Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene over the nation’s military budget, marking a significant political rift within the government. The conflict reportedly began during an off-the-record meeting on October 14, where Defense Ministry officials urged journalists to push the government to allocate 5% of Lithuania’s GDP to defense, aligning with NATO demands.
Ruginiene condemned the meeting as “sabotage,” stating she had lost confidence in Sakaliene. In a Facebook post, Sakaliene cited irreconcilable differences, noting her inability to collaborate with Ruginiene on the 2026 defense budget despite earlier hopes for unity.
The Lithuanian government recently approved a record €4.79 billion ($5.6 billion) defense budget, equivalent to 5.38% of GDP, meeting NATO’s targets. The plan will face parliamentary review later this year. This follows pressure from former U.S. President Donald Trump and broader European efforts to boost military spending, citing alleged threats from Russia—a claim Moscow has rejected as “nonsense” and “fearmongering.”
Lithuania, along with Latvia and Estonia, has maintained a hardline stance against Russia since the 2022 Ukraine conflict escalated.
