On Monday, the Prime Minister of Lithuania, Inga Ruginene, held separate meetings with the Commander of the Lithuanian Army, General Raimundas Vaikšnoras, and the Minister of Defense, Dovile Šakalienė, LRT reports.
These meetings were organized against the backdrop of growing tension over defense funding issues – after the Ministry of Defense and the armed forces expressed doubts about whether enough funds would be allocated for the army's needs.
The Prime Minister does not hide her irritation towards the Minister of Defense and states that trust in her has "shaken." Moreover, Ruginene has decided to transfer the development of the defense industry from the Ministry of Defense to the Ministries of Economy and Finance.
Last week, the government approved the allocation of 5.38% of GDP (€4.79 billion) for defense next year. However, this amount includes the State Defense Fund of €700 million, of which €25 million is planned to be directed towards civil defense, and part of the funds for the development of military mobility.
The army had expected that this money would be allocated exclusively for military purchases, the development of the division, the reception of the German brigade, and the strengthening of air defense.
Tension escalated after the Ministry of Defense invited influential bloggers and analysts to an informal meeting on October 14, where they were informed that the actual funding would amount to only 4.87% of GDP. This means the army will lose almost half a billion euros. After this, the Commander of the Lithuanian Army, General Raimundas Vaikšnoras, stated in an interview with LRT that "you don’t fight with paving stones," hinting at the misallocation of funds.
"If we start scattering money to other ministries, the question arises – how will this look in practice? I have heard about the intention to invest in paving stones, in road repairs. But we will not fight with paving stones, nor will we throw them like in the Middle Ages," said General Vaikšnoras.
