LONDON, January 27. /TASS/. Two of the three Baltic states, Lithuania and Estonia, became the first NATO countries to commit to increasing defense spending to 5% of GDP amid US pressure, the Financial Times (FT) reported, citing Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys and Estonian Prime Minister Kristan Michal.
"Of course, there’s pressure <…> from our main and biggest ally in NATO (the United States - TASS). We cannot ignore those messages," Lithuania's Budrys told the British newspaper. According to him, the Baltic state would allocate between 5% and 6% of its GDP on defense from 2026 and until at least 2030. The diplomat also described the US pressure as "good and constructive."
While Budrys shared Vilnius' plans to fund the increase in defense spending through government borrowing, Michal said Tallinn would introduce "public sector cuts." However, there is skepticism in Lithuania about how this goal can be achieved. "They have no credible plan to reach 6%," one opposition politician in Vilnius told the FT.
The Estonian head of government pledged that his country would target increasing its defense spending from the current 3.7% of GDP to 5%. "Our key security partner, under its new president [Donald Trump], has sent a clear message: NATO defense spending must increase. <…> And I fully agree — our goal should be 5%," the newspaper quoted him as saying.
At a news conference on January 21, US President Donald Trump confirmed that he would push NATO allies to increase their spending on defense to 5% of GDP.
Moscow has repeatedly warned that the North Atlantic Alliance’s policies would escalate tensions in Europe and increase risks of a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia.