Lithuanian PM moves to dismiss defense minister amid budget dispute

Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene announced on Wednesday that she has lost confidence in Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene and has formally proposed her dismissal, following a week-long disagreement over defense spending and internal government communication.

"I informed the president of my decision to propose the defense minister's dismissal. I did so verbally, and a written submission will follow shortly," Ruginiene told reporters at the Presidential Palace, describing the move as "a painful but necessary decision," LRT news reported.

She made it clear that she is initiating the dismissal herself, rather than acting on Sakaliene's resignation. "I cannot allow such misunderstandings and issues to occur in a field as important as defense," she said.

The dispute stems from an informal meeting at the Defense Ministry on Oct. 14 attended by social media influencers. During the meeting, participants were reportedly told that defense funding for 2026 would be 4.87% of GDP, less than the government's stated goal of 5%.

The following day, political commentator Marius Laurinavicius accused the government on social media of "sabotaging Lithuania's defence" by failing to allocate the promised funding.

Defense blogger Aleksandras Matonis later claimed that the Finance Ministry is preparing a budget that will cut €500 million from defense in 2026 and nearly €2 billion in 2029.

Ruginiene responded on Oct. 15, announcing that Lithuania would allocate 5.38% of GDP, about €4.79 billion, for defense next year, including €700 million from the State Defence Fund.

However, critics questioned whether part of the total included dual-use investments, such as infrastructure and mobility projects.

Initially calling the Defense Ministry incident "sabotage," Ruginiene later referred to it as a "misunderstanding."

However, after meeting with Armed Forces Commander Lt. Gen. Raimundas Vaiksnoras, she declared that her confidence in Sakaliene has "significantly eroded."

The president's adviser, Deividas Matulionis, confirmed that President Gitanas Nauseda has been informed of the prime minister's decision but has asked the minister not to resign for now.

Sakaliene, for her part, acknowledged that it would be difficult to continue without the support of both the prime minister and Social Democratic Party Chairman Mindaugas Sinkevicius.