Lithuania has decided to increase its defense spending to between 5% and 6% of gross domestic product by 2026 due to the threat of Russian aggression in the region, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said today, as quoted by the Associated Press.
The Baltic country, which borders Russia, currently spends just over 3% of GDP on defense. With the president's pledge, it becomes the first NATO country to commit to reaching the 5% target recently called for by U.S. presidential election winner Donald Trump.
Nauseda said the “historic decision” was adopted by the country's State Defense Council today.
Achieving this goal would make Lithuania the NATO country that spends the most on defense as a percentage of GDP, the AP notes. The current leader is Poland, which already spends more than 4% and intends to increase its spending.
“The possibility of Russian military aggression is still real, but not imminent. We must step up our efforts to strengthen defense and deterrence significantly and allocate more resources to it. Our security is also guaranteed by NATO membership, but it will only be effective if we are prepared to defend ourselves,“ Nauseda said.
Trump has been skeptical of NATO for years and has openly questioned the value of the alliance that has defined American defense policy for decades. He also threatened to withdraw protections from members who fail to meet defense spending targets.
Earlier this month, Trump said NATO countries should spend at least 5% of their GDP on defense, up from the current 2% target. He also said he would not rule out using military force to take control of Greenland, an autonomous territory of NATO member Denmark.