“I can say that a specific amount was identified – 400 million litas – for an increase in defence spending, which is a commitment. It’s a big amount and no other sector will see such a big increase in budget assignations as the national defence system,” the prime minister told journalists following a sitting of the ruling coalition’s political council.
Plans to increase the defense budget were announced by the Ministry of National Defence in July. It was said then the budget would amount to 1.381 billion litas, or 1.03 percent GDP.
In response to Russia’s actions in Ukraine, Lithuanian parliamentary parties agreed to gradually increase spending on defense to reach 2 percent GDP by 2020, which is the level all NATO member countries are asked to allocate for defence.
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