Lithuania's president says his country has made the decision to raise its spending on defense to between 5% and 6% of overall national economic output starting in 2026.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys stated that starting next year, his country will allocate between 5% and 6% of GDP to defense spending and maintain that level at least through 2030. This represents nearly double Lithuania's current spending levels.

Lithuania and Estonia have become the first NATO members to meet U.S. President Donald Trump's call to raise defense spending to more than 5% of GDP, Financial Times reported on Jan. 27. Trump reiterated his demand on Jan.

Kęstutis Budrys, Lithuania’s foreign minister, told the Financial Times that Europe was facing a “new era” after the Baltic state, which is next to Russia, said it would spend between 5 per cent and 6 per cent of its GDP on defence from next year until at least 2030. That is about double the current level.

Lithuania plans to dramatically increase defense spending to 5-6 percent of its GDP by 2026 citing the persistent threat of Russian aggression

According to Politico, Poland plans to allocate 4.7% of its GDP to defense this year—the highest within NATO—and intends to increase this amount in subsequent years. Lithuania’s recent decision, however, makes it the first country to fully meet Trump’s proposed threshold.