Lithuania\u2019s draft budget was approved amid internal disagreements<\/p>\n
Lithuania\u2019s draft budget for 2026 has fueled tensions within the ruling party, after the prime minister accused the defense ministry of misleading the public over military spending plans.
\nThis week the Baltic nation\u2019s government endorsed a record defense budget of \u20ac4.79 billion ($5.6 billion), equal to 5.38% of GDP, and in line with NATO\u2019s drive to boost military spending. The draft will be debated before final parliamentary approval later this year.
\nHowever, the Lithuanian Defense Ministry held an off-the-record meeting with journalists and opinion leaders on Tuesday, who were allegedly told military spending would be below 5% of GDP and to pressure the government to increase the funding, local media reported.
\nPrime Minister Inga Ruginiene initially called the meeting \u201csabotage\u201d and that the defense budget had been prepared and agreed upon earlier. She criticized party colleague and Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene, telling the media that she will meet with her on Monday.
\n\u201cWe are all on the same team,\u201d Sakaliene told reporters in response, adding that \u201chostile forces can easily exploit misunderstandings.\u201d
\nUnder pressure from US President Donald Trump, European NATO members promised to increase military budgets to 5% of GDP. EU governments have also announced large-scale military investments, citing an alleged threat posed by Russia.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: Poland deploys troops to German and Lithuanian borders<\/p>\n
Moscow has repeatedly denied assertions that it intends to attack the US-led military bloc and has pointed out Western European leaders\u2019 increasingly bellicose rhetoric, and military buildup.
\nAlong with its Baltic neighbors, Lithuania has taken a hard line toward Moscow since the Ukraine conflict escalated in 2022. The country has been one of Kiev\u2019s most vocal supporters, pressing for tougher sanctions and greater NATO involvement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Lithuania\u2019s draft budget was approved amid internal disagreements Lithuania\u2019s draft budget for 2026 has fueled tensions within the ruling party, after the prime minister accused the defense ministry of misleading…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":20537,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20536","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t