Lithuania says Türkiye is key NATO ally with strong military capabilities

Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene said that Türkiye is an important NATO ally with strong military capabilities and a strategic geographic position, adding that Lithuania highly values Türkiye’s solidarity with and contribution to security in the Baltic region.

Ruginiene made the remarks in written responses to Anadolu ahead of the Ankara summit on Monday and Tuesday.

She said she expected the summit to reaffirm transatlantic unity and all allies’ strong commitment to fulfilling their obligations under the Washington Treaty.

“In this context, increasing defense spending and developing defense capabilities are of great importance to ensure a credible deterrence and defense posture,” she said.

Ruginiene said Russia remained the most direct long-term threat to Euro-Atlantic security and that the Russia-Ukraine war had further worsened Europe’s security environment, including for neighboring countries.

The prime minister also condemned recent drone incursions from Russia and Belarus into Baltic airspace that affected NATO’s eastern flank.

Strengthening defense industry

Ruginiene said Lithuania expected the Ankara summit to make concrete progress toward the goal of allocating 5% of gross domestic product to defense, particularly by strengthening air defense capabilities to deter Russia and ensure a credible defense posture.

“Strengthening the defense industry is among our priorities. Allies need to increase production capacity, accelerate innovation and keep costs under control,” she said.

Ruginiene said continued military support for Ukraine remained vital and that Kyiv had gained momentum on the battlefield through the contributions of all NATO allies.

“Our message must be clear. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, its military buildup and hybrid activities against allies have fundamentally changed Europe’s security environment,” she said.

“There is no alternative to increasing defense budgets in this new threat environment. Security cannot be taken for granted,” she added.

Defense spending and new economic opportunities

Ruginiene said higher defense spending also created new economic and commercial opportunities for countries.

“As European allies assume greater responsibility, the transatlantic bond remains the cornerstone of Euro-Atlantic security. Even if the US role changes, it will remain indispensable and cannot be replaced by any other actor,” she said.

The prime minister said the concept of a “European pillar” within NATO was, to some extent, misleading, stressing that every ally must meet its commitments to the alliance, whether on defense spending or capability targets.

“NATO is an integrated structure in which every ally matters. Strong allies mean a strong NATO,” she said.

Ruginiene said Lithuania remained a committed supporter of deeper transatlantic cooperation and a stronger NATO, adding that it shared US concerns over a more balanced distribution of responsibilities within the alliance.

She welcomed Europe’s determination to strengthen its defense readiness after years of insufficient investment.

“A stronger and more capable Europe will make a positive contribution to global and transatlantic security and will further strengthen NATO,” she said.

Ruginiene said European Union defense initiatives and increased national defense spending would significantly boost Europe’s conventional military strength.

“The alliance will gain the military capacity needed to protect European and transatlantic interests and provide stronger deterrence against external threats,” she said.

Türkiye’s role

On Türkiye’s role in the alliance, Ruginiene said: “Türkiye is an important NATO ally with strong military capabilities and a strategic geographic position. We highly appreciate Türkiye’s solidarity with and contribution to the security of the Baltic region.”

“At a time when the security environment is becoming increasingly challenging, particularly because of Russia’s military buildup and hybrid activities against allies, unity and effective cooperation are more important than ever,” she added.

Ruginiene said every ally had an important role in strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defense capabilities, increasing its resilience and ensuring the alliance remained prepared for all threats, whether conventional or hybrid.