Žemaitaitis urges lower defence budget over underspending

Remigijus Žemaitaitis, leader of the opposition party Nemuno aušra, says Lithuania should allocate less to defence next year because the system is not using the funds already available. He made the remarks to BNS on Thursday, LRT reported.

“Even this year, those sums have not been used,” Žemaitaitis said, pointing to scandals over spending, comments from the Special Investigation Service and delays in procurement. Some defence purchases had been removed from public procurement, he said.

He argued that the defence budget for 2027 could be lower because advance payments for purchases have already been made and funding for a training ground was allocated earlier. He also criticised what he called wasteful spending, saying the state was paying more than necessary.

Žemaitaitis said he saw no added value in being among countries that spend at least 5% of gross domestic product on defence. He said money should instead go to education and the economy, including measures to raise GDP and help repay debt in 2028 and 2029.

Lithuania plans to spend 4.8 billion euros on defence next year, BNS reported. That is 36 million euros more than this year, but defence spending is set to fall from 5.38% of GDP to 5% as the economy grows.