The Baltic states will present a capability development plan at this week’s NATO summit in Washington, D.C., the Lithuanian and Estonian presidents have said.
They have also called for the necessary military capabilities to be assigned to the regional defence plans approved at the NATO summit in Vilnius last year.
“Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia have proposed a capability development plan, which they will present at the summit in Washington. This will, of course, require increased defence spending,” Estonian President Alar Karis told a press conference in Vilnius on Saturday.
According to the Estonian leader, the 2 percent of GDP “floor” for defence spending by NATO countries is not enough.
“We have to talk about 2.5 percent or even 3 percent for defence,” he said.
Lithuanian officials have said that Vilnius wants to initiate a discussion at the Washington summit on the commitment to allocate 2.5 percent of GDP to defence.
President Gitanas Nausėda noted that Lithuania’s defence spending has already reached 3 percent of GDP this year.
“NATO’s eastern flank has to be further strengthened. It is crucial to ensure the implementation of NATO’s regional defence plans by assigning the necessary capabilities,” he said. “The implementation of the rotational air defence model should also be a priority for us.”
Lithuanian officials have previously said that they will aim for the rotational air defence model to be included in NATO plans during the Washington summit.
NATO allies agreed in June 2023 that such a model should be developed, but it has not yet been implemented. The Baltic states are currently negotiating with countries capable of deploying air defence systems in the region.
Lithuania has discussed the possibility with the US, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, Italy, Greece, and others.
Lithuanian President Nausėda, Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, Defence Minister Laurynas Kasčiūnas and Seimas Speaker Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen are visiting Washington, D.C., which is hosting the NATO summit on July 9–11.
The Foreign Ministry has said Landsbergis will speak at the NATO Public Forum, join his Nordic and Baltic counterparts for a security seminar hosted by the Atlantic Council think tank, and discuss the Washington summit’s priorities at the Hudson Institute.
His agenda also includes bilateral meetings with the US deputy secretary of state, members of the US Senate, and foreign ministers of other NATO allies.
The Defence Ministry has said Kasčiūnas is scheduled to meet with Major General Mark J. Schindler, commander of the Pennsylvania National Guard, and hold bilateral meetings with the Dutch, Czech, and Croatian defence ministers.
Nausėda will attend the summit until July 10, as he is set to be inaugurated for his second term as Lithuanian president on Friday.
The Seimas Office has said that on Monday, Čmilyte-Nielsen is to meet with US House Speaker Mike Johnson and representatives of the Joint Baltic American National Committee (JBANC), a US NGO bringing together Baltic expatriates.
On Wednesday, she is scheduled to meet NATO countries’ parliamentary speakers.
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