Budrys at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum: We have no time to waste – NATO must meet the 5% defense spending target sooner
On 18 April, Kęstutis Budrys, who left for a working visit to Turkey, met with NATO Deputy Secretary General Radmila Šekerinska, with whom he discussed preparations for the upcoming NATO summit in Ankara.
During the meeting, Lithuania's head of diplomacy emphasized the importance of transatlantic relations and the need for a strong NATO defense and deterrence posture on the Alliance's front lines.
The Minister presented Lithuania’s priorities on the Alliance’s agenda to the Deputy Secretaries General of NATO, namely: strengthening defense capabilities, particularly air defense, and support for Ukraine.
“At the NATO summit in Ankara, all Alliance countries must demonstrate genuine transatlantic unity—by consistently strengthening their defense capabilities, increasing defense spending, and fulfilling the commitments made in The Hague, which would allow us to raise expenditures to 5% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP),” said Budrys.
The Minister, together with the Deputy Secretary General of NATO, participated in a discussion at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum titled “Securing Europe: Unity and Strategic Renewal towards NATO Ankara Summit.”
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