Lithuanian leaders agree air defence is top defence priority

Prime Minister and ruling Social Democrats leader Mindaugas Sinkevičius said Friday that he and opposition Conservative leader Laurynas Kasčiūnas had agreed to make air defence the top priority in Lithuania’s defence planning, LRT reported.

“We discussed a party agreement on defence after 2030. We agreed that air defence is the first priority on the list,” Sinkevičius told reporters.

The Defence Ministry said air defence has been allocated 524 million euros this year.

A draft government programme implementation plan registered this week says Lithuania should develop airspace surveillance and an integrated air defence system by the third quarter of 2028. The system would be designed to detect and neutralise unmanned aircraft while ensuring interoperability with NATO’s integrated air and missile defence system.

Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas described the goal as ambitious but realistic. Lithuania has previously said it aims to have a fully integrated air defence detection system before 2030.