Lithuania has announced plans to boost its defense spending to between 5 percent and 6 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP), becoming the first NATO country to make a firm commitment to President-elect Donald Trump’s request that allies spend at least 5 percent of GDP on defense.
The decision, announced on Jan. 17 by top Lithuanian officials, is driven by the Baltic nation’s determination to confront the threat of Russian aggression. Lithuania, which shares a border with Russia and its heavily militarized Kaliningrad exclave, has repeatedly emphasized the need to bolster its defenses.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda told reporters after a Jan. 17 meeting of the State Defense Council in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, that a historic decision has been taken to nearly double the country’s defense spending. Currently, Lithuania spends a little over 3 percent of its GDP on defense....
