„If Mr Žemaitaitis discredits, let’s be honest, not only himself but the entire country in the eyes of foreign partners, in the eyes of Ukraine, then I do not see any prospects for the coalition to continue working in its current composition. And I think we are talking about a very short timeframe when changes may be simply inevitable. Everyone will realise that this is inevitable,“ Nausėda said in a podcast Kontekstai for business news website Verslo žinios.
The president said that Žemaitaitis was becoming a similar politician like Eduardas Vaitkus, a former presidential candidate notorious for pro-Russian views.
„If before elections he [Žemaitaitis] was able to somehow disguise himself, now he is unmasking himself. Those who voted for Žemaitaitis got Vaitkus. From the standpoint of the state, these times it is too great of a luxury to have an obviously increasingly more pro-Russian politician,“ stressed the president.
As reported, the State Defence Council recently decided that Lithuania should spend 5-6% of GDP for defence in 2026-2030 due to the Russian threat, but Žemaitaitis opposes this. When Parliament Speaker Saulius Skvernelis suggested that he should visit Ukraine to see why greater defence spending was necessary, Žemaitaitis declared that Ukraine can only teach people how to be corrupt and sell out the country.
Žemaitaitis also criticised the president’s proposal to create special savings accounts where people could keep their money in return for interest and help fund defence projects. Nausėda said people would benefit as interest is not paid for money kept in current accounts. Whereas Žemaitaitis started claiming that people’s deposits would be „nationalised“ and instead suggested lifting sanctions on Belarusian fertilisers.
The presidency afterwards stated that Žemaitaitis echoed Russian propaganda. Whereas Parliament Speaker Skvernelis said that Žemaitaitis was engaged in a disinformation campaign aimed at discrediting Lithuania’s decision to boost its security. He said Žemaitaitis’ statements contradicted the ruling coalition’s agreement and this should be discussed by the coalition council.
In the 2020-2024 term of office Žemaitaitis faced impeachment when the Constitutional Court ruled that he violated his oath and the Constitution by making antisemitic statements on social platforms. He stepped down as MP in April 2024 in order to avoid impeachment and was elected to the Seimas again in October that year.
After the 2024 parliamentary election, the Social Democratic Party (LSDP) formed the coalition with Democrats For Lithuania, led by Skvernelis, and the Nemunas Dawn party, led by Žemaitaitis.
Karolis Broga (ELTA)
