Following a meeting with President Gitanas Nausėda, Sinkevičius said Lithuania should aim to become not only a buyer of defence equipment but also a producer.
“As we look towards 2030 and beyond, we must consider how we will achieve this with our own budget resources. We must think about how to kick-start the defence industry, as this is a crucial element that is important to me personally, to the defence minister and to the president,” Sinkevičius told reporters at the Presidential Palace.
He said Lithuania should develop manufacturing capabilities so that domestically produced defence equipment could serve both national needs and be exported to NATO allies.
“We must not be just buyers, but also manufacturers, so that what we produce is not only for our own use but can also be exported and sold to NATO countries. Launching the defence industry is very important both to the president and to me personally,” Sinkevičius said.
Nausėda’s chief economic adviser, Vaidas Augustinavičius, told Žinių radijas on Tuesday that the president believes Lithuania must continue strengthening its defence capabilities as geopolitical tensions are unlikely to ease in the coming years. He said political parties should seek a broad agreement on long-term defence funding after 2030.
Augustinavičius added that though defence spending as a share of GDP remains an important NATO benchmark, the key factor is the actual amount of funding needed to develop the planned capabilities.