Lithuania mulls allocating at least 0.25% of GDP to Ukraine annually

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The State Defence Council on Wednesday backed plans to allocate at least 0.25 percent of Lithuania’s GDP annually for military assistance to Ukraine.

“The members of the State Defence Council agreed that Lithuania’s annual military and security assistance for the next three years should not be less than 0.25 percent of GDP, or 190 million euros per year in today’s figures,” Kęstutis Budrys, the president’s Kęstutis Budrys, the president’s chief national security adviser, told reporters after the council meeting.

“Any military support that would be provided from this budgeted amount would be both lethal and non-lethal, both direct, which is what we are directly handing over to Ukraine, and indirect, through our participation in various funds or capacity development coalitions,” he added.

According to Budrys, a year ago the council endorsed the defence minister’s three-year plan for support to Ukraine, which envisaged 200 million euros worth of military assistance to Ukraine over the next three years.

“We can see that the situation has changed. Lithuania’s ambitions, capabilities, and Ukraine’s needs have grown, and our support has already exceeded those projected figures,” he said.

Defence Minister Laurynas Kasčiūnas noted that the rate of 0.25 percent of GDP was chosen as a starting point because if all NATO countries were to contribute such an amount, it would offset the resources allocated by Russia to the war.

“I can confidently say that we will exceed this percentage,” he said.

According to the minister, Lithuania’s assistance sent to Ukraine largely consists of M113 armoured personnel carriers, Lithuanian drones, demining equipment, and air defence radars.

Under the Constitution, the State Defence Council discusses and coordinates key state defence issues. The council is chaired by the president and also includes the prime minister, the speaker of the Seimas, the defence minister, and the chief of defence.