Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda has said he supports a significantly expanded European Union budget for the 2028-2034 period, adding that his country is prepared to pay a higher share.
Speaking to reporters in Brussels, Nausėda argued that the current financial framework fails to adequately fund key priorities such as defence, security and military mobility.
He backed the European Commission's proposal for a budget of nearly two trillion euros, a figure well above previous cycles.
"We have set quite a few priorities," he said. "For these priorities to have adequate financing, the budget must be significantly larger than this one."
Nausėda acknowledged that Lithuania has reservations about the Commission's proposals for new sources of EU revenue, but said Vilnius would be willing to compromise if it meant securing a more ambitious overall budget.
"We are not thrilled by them," he said of the new-revenue proposals, "but if we need to seek a compromise and opt for a larger budget, we would likely be inclined to agree to some of them. However, if there is no ambition to increase the budget, our view of those proposals will be much more reserved."
The Lithuanian president made the remarks on the sidelines of a European Council summit in Brussels, where EU leaders are discussing Ukraine, economic competitiveness, and European defence and security, alongside the budget negotiations.
