NATO’s proposed increase in defence spending should focus strictly on military needs rather than dual-use infrastructure, says Asta Skaisgirytė, chief policy adviser to Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda.
Her comments come as NATO countries debate a model that includes a 3.5-percent GDP target for hard defence spending and an extra 1.5 percent for military-related needs, such as dual-use infrastructure.
“In our view, the full 5 percent should go toward military spending, primarily on weapons,” the adviser told the radio Žinių Radijas on Tuesday.
“This split into 3.5 and 1.5 percent is not what we would prefer, but it could work as a compromise,” she added.
US President Donald Trump has been pressing allies to commit 5 percent of their GDP to defence.
Skaisgirytė acknowledged that reaching the target for “hard” defence could be challenging for larger countries. She also noted that some of them feel less directly threatened by Russia.
The adviser insisted, however, that Russia is capable of striking targets anywhere in Europe.
“Russia’s weapons are being modernised and made highly effective. Whether a missile is launched at the Baltic Sea region or deep into Western Europe, say the Iberian Peninsula, we’re talking about a difference of just a few minutes,” Skaisgirytė said.
“It’s not like the Iberian Peninsula is out of reach. It’s within range if missiles are aimed in that direction,” she added.
NATO leaders are expected to agree on new military spending commitments at a summit in The Hague later this month.
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