Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė on Thursday accused the Defence Ministry, led by Dovilė Šakalienė, of “sabotage” after reports that ministry officials had privately told journalists and opinion leaders that next year’s defence funding would be lower than planned.
Ruginienė said she plans to hold a “serious conversation” with the minister and will then decide whether she still has confidence in her.
“I view this exactly as the party leader does – and perhaps even more strictly – as sabotage,” Ruginienė told the parliament, Seimas, during a government question hour.
Speaking later with reporters, she softened her language, suggesting the situation might have been a “misunderstanding”.
“Perhaps I used the wrong word,” she said. “It might be more accurate to call it a misunderstanding – that the Defence Ministry did not fully understand or misinterpreted the figures and rushed to inform the public.”
The controversy began after reports that the Defence Ministry had held an informal briefing for journalists and influencers, during which participants were allegedly told that defence spending in the 2026 draft budget would fall short of the promised 5.38% of GDP.
Social Democratic Party (LSDP) leader Mindaugas Sinkevičius, whose party oversees the ministry, criticised the meeting as “uncoordinated and unprofessional”.
“I don’t know why the Defence Ministry invited influential public figures and journalists to explain that perhaps the percentage would not be as high,” Sinkevičius said. “It’s an interesting exercise, which we will evaluate later.”
He said the briefing fuelled public speculation that the government planned to reduce defence spending compared to earlier commitments.
Defence Minister Šakalienė denied any knowledge of the meeting, saying she was abroad in Sweden at the time. She reiterated that the ministry’s stance on defence funding “has not changed”.
“There can be no compromises when it comes to ensuring our defence needs,” she said. “If some communication formats were perceived as sabotage, that’s a sensitive matter, but we all stand on the same side here.”
Ruginienė said the ministry’s presentation of figures inconsistent with government policy was “irresponsible” and that she had requested a full report from the Defence Ministry identifying who organised the event, what information was shared, and why only select individuals were invited.
“What matters most is not who heard the information, but what kind of information was presented and why,” she said.
The prime minister also rebuked Armed Forces Commander Gen. Raimundas Vaikšnoras, who had earlier mocked government plans to include infrastructure projects under defence funding, saying, “You can’t fight wars with paving stones”.
“It’s irresponsible for the army chief to comment on budget formation in such a way,” Ruginienė said.
She added that the situation revealed a lack of “teamwork” both within the Cabinet and in the parliament.
The State Defence Council earlier this year decided that Lithuania should allocate 5–6% of GDP for defence between 2026 and 2030 to fully develop a national army division and accommodate a German brigade expected to be deployed by 2027.
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