Sinkevičius and Kasčiūnas agree air defence must come first

Prime Minister and ruling Social Democratic leader Mindaugas Sinkevičius and opposition Conservative leader Laurynas Kasčiūnas agreed that air defence should be Lithuania’s top national defence priority, 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 after meeting Kasčiūnas on Friday.

The Ministry of National Defence says 524 million euros has been allocated for air defence this year. A draft government 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 detect and neutralise unmanned aircraft while ensuring interoperability with NATO’s integrated air and missile defence system.

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

Kasčiūnas said he and Sinkevičius had discussed a more ambitious plan for the sector. He called the existing plan, prepared before the current government, only a partial solution that would not protect cities or all critical infrastructure.

“We spoke today about a greater ambition and a more ambitious direction in this area. I think that is very good,” Kasčiūnas said.

According to BNS, the Conservative opposition registered a proposal in Parliament in July to approve a multilayered air defence concept. The proposal, initiated by Kasčiūnas and Dainius Kreivys, would require the government and the Ministry of National Defence to move from individual weapons purchases to an integrated air defence system covering the entire country, critical infrastructure and residents.

Government targets should not be delayed

Sinkevičius also said the goals set out in the government programme, including the normalisation of relations with China, should not be postponed indefinitely.

“My position is very clear: we have a very limited time to implement the 21st Government’s programme. We all understand that as elections approach, the work will become particularly complicated, because everyone will be thinking about and focusing on elections and campaign issues,” the prime minister told reporters at the government headquarters.

He said officials should draw up a clear action plan, taking into account the limited time available and Lithuania’s upcoming period of chairing the Council of the European Union.

Earlier this week, Sinkevičius told Žinių radijas that he trusted Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys’s diplomatic abilities in seeking to normalise relations with China. The prime minister said he hoped the foreign minister would achieve the goal included in the government programme before Lithuania’s EU Council presidency.

Responding to opposition criticism of the task assigned to Budrys, Sinkevičius said that without a specific deadline, the normalisation of relations with China could be postponed to an indefinite future.