Following explosive statements from American leaders at the Munich Security Conference, Lithuanian leaders maintain faith in defence cooperation between the US and Europe and call for ramping up military spending.
According to Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda, Europe currently has no real security alternative to the US.
“We have the potential to maintain this transatlantic backbone because, in my deep conviction, we are currently incapable of replacing it with any substitute,” Nausėda told LRT at the Munich Security Conference on Friday.
“For years, the EU has invested far too little in its defence industry and military capabilities to seriously talk about alternatives,” he added.
Last week, US President Donald Trump shocked European allies by speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the phone. There are concerns that in his push for peace in Ukraine, Trump might sideline Kyiv and Europe from negotiations to end the war.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Friday warned NATO allies in Europe against assuming that the American troop presence on the continent would “last forever” and urged them to spend more on defence.
In his speech at the Munich Security Conference, US Vice President JD Vance accused European governments of suppressing free speech and failing to halt immigration.
Nausėda said that statements from Trump and other White House officials should not be interpreted as “a step toward some kind of divorce”.
The Lithuanian president suggested that the US rhetoric could be part of Washington’s negotiation strategy to push NATO members to increase their defence spending.
“There is a reaction from allies. What’s most interesting is that at this forum, talking about three percent of GDP for defence spending is no longer appropriate – it doesn’t sound like much anymore,” he said.
When asked by journalists whether Lithuania can still consider the US an ally, Nausėda cautioned against reading too much into “the events of a single day and drawing overly far-reaching conclusions”.
The Lithuanian president also said that the US needs allies in Europe.
“Even if the rhetoric sometimes gives a different impression, we need to be patient and, most importantly, pay enough attention to our security, something we haven’t done for years. The situation is now so serious and tense that fewer and fewer people think they can save money on security and spend it on other needs,” he said.
Trump has called for NATO members to spend five percent of GDP on defence, more than double the alliance’s current target.
Defence minister: NATO has 4 years to prepare for war
Lithuanian Defence Minister Dovilė Šakalienė has also called on Europe to ramp up military spending.
“We can and must support each other with the US. To do so, we need to form a unified European position – show leadership on Ukraine’s EU membership and put money on the table for defence funding. Now is not the time for remorse; it is time for Europe to act according to its real capabilities and back up its words with weapons,” Šakalienė, who also attended the Munich conference, was quoted in a press release from the Defence Ministry on Saturday.
“Now we will have to pay, with high interest and no deferment, the debt that Europe has accumulated over the seven decades when the US paid for its security. We must show that we are reliable partners,” she added.
Amid growing doubts about US commitments to Europe, the Lithuanian minister called this a “harsh but necessary wake-up call” and said Europe needs to “urgently grow its military muscle”.
According to Šakalienė, NATO has three to four years to “fully prepare for a major war in Europe”.
“The only way to avoid war is to be fully prepared for it. We can no longer have any illusions of security,” she said.
The minister supported the position that no negotiations can take place without the direct involvement of Ukraine and Europe, and that real guarantees ensuring Ukraine’s security are essential for a lasting peace.
“There is and there can be no talk about the alliance breaking apart – Europe and the US do not have the real ability to effectively deter, and if necessary, to overcome the Russia and China-led axis of evil, unless we want to suffer losses that will take decades to recover from. We can and must stand by Ukraine in the negotiations,” she said.
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