Lithuania: President urges defence spending of at least 3.5% of GDP

Lithuania should spend at least 3.5% of its GDP on defence each year, President Gitanas Nauseda stated, BNS reports. He said that military spending should be increased “year after year” to implement plans to modernise the Lithuanian Armed Forces (LGP) and host a full German brigade in the country. Meanwhile, Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen, speaker of the Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas, urged to update the 2022 national agreement between political parties to include sustainable funding for defence. Individual tax initiatives would not solve the long-term funding needs, she insisted.