ISTANBUL

Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene announced her resignation on Wednesday, a day after Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene said she had lost confidence in her and had formally proposed her dismissal following a week-long rift over defense spending and internal government communication.

Sakaliene confirmed she sent her resignation letter to President Gitanas Nauseda, writing on Facebook: “I no longer have any hope of working together with the current head of government.”

The move came after Ruginiene told reporters at the Presidential Palace that she had decided to dismiss the minister, calling it “a painful but necessary decision,” according to LRT news.

“I cannot allow such misunderstandings and issues to occur in a field as important as defense,” the prime minister said, clarifying that she was initiating the dismissal herself rather than acting on Sakaliene’s resignation.

Speaking to journalists, the outgoing minister said she was proud of her work during her tenure, citing the increased national defense budget, growing popularity of the armed forces, and a rise in volunteer enlistment.

She expressed hope that her deputy ministers would remain in place and that the defense industry portfolio would stay under the Defense Ministry’s supervision.

The dispute stems from an informal meeting at the Defense Ministry on Oct. 14 attended by social media influencers. During the meeting, participants were reportedly told that defense funding for 2026 would be 4.87% of GDP, less than the government's stated goal of 5%.

The following day, political commentator Marius Laurinavicius accused the government on social media of "sabotaging Lithuania's defense" by failing to allocate the promised funding.

Defense blogger Aleksandras Matonis later claimed that the Finance Ministry is preparing a budget that will cut €500 million from defense in 2026 and nearly €2 billion in 2029.

Ruginiene responded on Oct. 15, announcing that Lithuania would allocate 5.38% of GDP, about €4.79 billion, for defense next year, including €700 million from the State Defense Fund.

However, critics questioned whether part of the total included dual-use investments, such as infrastructure and mobility projects.

Initially calling the Defense Ministry incident “sabotage,” Ruginiene later referred to it as a “misunderstanding.”

However, after meeting Armed Forces Commander Lt. Gen. Raimundas Vaiksnoras, she declared that her confidence in Sakaliene has "significantly eroded."

The president's adviser, Deividas Matulionis, confirmed that President Nauseda has been informed of the prime minister's decision but has asked the minister not to resign for now.

Sakaliene, for her part, acknowledged that it would be difficult to continue without the support of both the prime minister and Social Democratic Party Chairman Mindaugas Sinkevicius.