Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginenė announced the resignation of Defense Minister Dovile Šakaliė after a high-profile conflict erupted over the issue of financing the country’s defense budget. This is reported by Politico.
The Lithuanian Prime Minister accused the Defense Minister of “dishonesty, lack of cooperation and poor team management”.
“It is a pity that I have to make this decision, and this is certainly a difficult moment for me as Prime Minister”, Ruginene stressed.
Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene responded by stating that she had resigned voluntarily, explaining her decision by “principal differences” with the Prime Minister regarding approaches to strengthening national security. She stressed that the defense budget cannot be lower than 5.5% of GDP, while the government currently plans to spend 5.38%.
The conflict between the Minister of Defense and the Prime Minister escalated after an informal meeting on October 14 at the Ministry of Defense, at which public figures were presented with information that in 2026 defense funding would amount to only 4.87% of GDP. Inga Ruginene later clarified that in 2026, it is planned to allocate 5.38% of GDP — that is, 4.79 billion euros — for defense needs.
Lithuania, which shares a border with Russia, is actively strengthening its defense capabilities, preparing for possible aggressive actions by Moscow. Lithuanian President’s National Security Advisor Deividas Matulionis stressed that the figure of the new defense minister is crucial, since the deployment of the German brigade and the presence of American troops in the country depend on the budget.
Interim Defense Minister Vladislavas Kondratovičius will serve as Interior Minister. This is the second resignation of a minister since Ruginenė began his term.
