British News Agency

In recent years, Lithuania has increased its defense spending amid fears of a possible Russian invasion. Šakalienė stated that next year’s defense budget would not be as high as expected and urged influential figures to pressure the government to raise it.

Following an informal meeting between Šakalienė and several prominent figures, military bloggers Aleksandras Matonis and Marius Laurinavičius claimed on social media that defense spending in the next budget would not reach NATO’s new benchmark of 5% of GDP. Lithuanian media reported that both attended the meeting with Šakalienė.

After meeting with President Gitanas Nausėda, Ruginienė told reporters: “The events of recent weeks were truly the last straw. Although the decision was made earlier than expected, it was inevitable.”

Ruginienė cited dishonesty, lack of cooperation, poor team management, and “various details” as reasons for Šakalienė’s dismissal.

According to Šakalienė, she resigned on her own initiative. In a Facebook post, she admitted that “working with me is not for the faint-hearted.” “Just a month ago, I hoped we could work with the Prime Minister, but unfortunately we cannot because we fundamentally differ on how to strengthen national security.”

The Ruginienė government proposed a defense spending target of 5.38% of GDP, but it has yet to be approved by parliament. Šakalienė noted that the defense budget forecast was lower than before her meeting with the bloggers.

Ruginienė said that the lower spending figures in the draft do not matter. “It doesn’t matter when you add the spice to the soup; what matters is the final result. The same applies to the budget: the final version is what counts.”