defence spending

Prime minister-designate Gintautas Paluckas has mentioned the need to revise the state budget for 2025 so that defence spending would stand at 3.5% of GDP.

Minister of National Defence Minister Laurynas Kasčiūnas on Thursday urged NATO Allies to raise the defence spending limit to at least 3% of GDP and to come up with creative solutions in supporting Ukraine’s defence industry, the ministry said in a press release.

Lithuania’s defence spending could rise to 3.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) in next year’s budget, says the chief presidential adviser on economic and social policy.

President Gitanas Nausėda believes that Lithuania’s ambitions to increase defence spending set an example for other NATO countries.

Discussions on long-term sources to fund defence spending will need to continue regardless of results the upcoming general election, says Seimas Speaker Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, suggesting that the defence fund package adopted by the Parliament last week is an „intermediate step“.

The Netherlands is building new coalitions within the EU to compensate for the loss of the UK as the union's main free trade champion, and has found partners in the Baltic States. At the same time, a domestic policy issue involving gas supplies and the Dutch stance on Russia have the potential to pu...

Increase of Lithuania's defense budget should be even, says Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis, adding that other sectors in need of bigger funding should not be forgotten amid discussions about the need to raise it to 2.5 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP).

Lithuania's defense budget for 2018 should be 2.006 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP), Defense Minister Raimundas Karoblis cited the latest calculations on Tuesday.

Monday marks a year since the first round of Lithuania's parliamentary elections. BNS provides an overview of the key decisions taken by the new parliament, as well as the scandals it faced and the challenges it will still have to cope with.

After Lithuania reaches 2 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) for defense next year, the defense funding should no longer be increased, with money directed towards reduction of social exclusion, says Gintautas Paluckas, the leader of the Social Democratic Party.

Lithuania will next year join the elite club of NATO member states spending 2 percent of GDP on defense, but Defense Minister Raimundas Karoblis believes that the country should not stop after reaching the target.

Lithuania's defense spending in the future will depend on available budget funds and the needs of its Armed Forces, Viktoras Pranckietis, the speaker of the Seimas, said on Monday, clarifying his position on the matter.

After Lithuania begins next year to earmark 2 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) to defence, financing of the sector should not grow any further, says Parliamentary Speaker Viktoras Pranckietis.

Lithuanian Defense Minister Raimundas Karoblis is taking part in a meeting of NATO defense ministries held in Brussels on Thursday to discuss the Alliance's counter-terrorism efforts and defense funding.

Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė on Thursday is attending NATO's summit in Brussels that is expected to focus on defense funding and the Alliance's role in the fight against terrorism.

The Baltic countries are setting an example for all NATO member states in increasing their defense budgets, US Defense Secretary James Mattis said on Wednesday after visiting the Alliance's troops stationed in Lithuania.

United States Secretary of Defense James Mattis said in Vilnius on Wednesday that the US was ready to deploy defense systems in the Baltic states to deter Russia, however, has given no comment on the possibility to bring long-range defense systems Patriot.