Lithuania will be the only country in NATO to spend more than 5% of GDP on defence

Lithuania plans to increase defence spending to 5-6% of GDP in the period 2026-2030. This was announced by Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda after a meeting of the State Defence Council, LRT reports.

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The President stressed that the likelihood of Russian aggression remains real, although not inevitable. Such resources should be spent on defence in the period 2026-2030. This is necessary to accelerate the deployment of the mechanised division to defend Lithuania.

However, earlier it became known that due to the significant costs of modern military equipment, including Leopard 2 tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, as well as the need to create the appropriate infrastructure, the division will not be able to achieve full combat readiness by 2030 as planned.

If funding is not increased, this deadline could be pushed back to 2036-2040. Nausėda noted that in order to achieve the goal, the defence budget should amount to 5.5% of GDP annually during the specified period.

It is also worth noting that Lithuania is considering withdrawing from the Ottawa Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, citing the need to strengthen national defence.

Source: LRT