Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene has resigned following a week-long disagreement with Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene over the country’s military budget. The dispute reportedly arose from an off-the-record meeting on October 14, where defense ministry staff encouraged journalists to pressure the government to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP, as per NATO demands. The prime minister labeled the meeting as ‘sabotage’ and declared she had lost confidence in the defense minister, prompting Sakaliene’s resignation.
Sakaliene said on Facebook that she was stepping down due to ‘different fundamental views’ after repeated clashes with Ruginiene about the 2026 defense budget. ‘Just a month ago, I had hoped we could work together, but unfortunately, we cannot,’ she wrote.
This week, the Baltic nation’s government endorsed a record defense budget of €4.79 billion ($5.6 billion), equal to 5.38% of GDP, in line with NATO’s drive to boost military spending. The draft will be debated before final parliamentary approval later this year.
European NATO members, under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, have promised to increase their military budgets to 5% of GDP. EU governments have also announced large-scale military investments, citing an alleged threat posed by Russia—a claim Moscow denies. The Kremlin has dismissed these allegations as ‘nonsense’ and fearmongering, condemning what it calls the West’s ‘reckless militarization.’
Lithuania, along with its Baltic neighbors Latvia and Estonia, has taken a particularly hardline stance toward Moscow since the Ukraine conflict escalated in 2022.