„I believe that neither the prime minister nor the chairman of the LSDP should comment on the commander of the army at this time. The army's credibility has been somewhat diminished, which is not good. We need to maintain trust in the army, and that is extremely important. Therefore, if we get involved in internal conflicts, it will be the worst thing that could happen to the state,“ Kasčiūnas told reporters in the Seimas on Thursday.
This was his assessment of the statements made by Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė and Social Democratic Party leader Mindaugas Sinkevičius. On Wednesday, Army Commander Raimundas Vaikšnoras told LRT television that not all of the funds from the future national defence budget would be allocated to the army's needs.
For her part, Ruginienė told LRT television that such rumours, in her words, discredit the entire country's defence. Meanwhile, speaking on Žinių Radijas radio, Sinkevičius expressed surprise at the army commander's statements. They noted that „in democratic countries, the army does not usually express political positions and does not engage in politics.“
In Kasčiūnas's opinion, Vaikšnoras expressed his opinion as commander of the army.
„The army commander is just stating his opinion. He is responsible for the army and wants it to achieve full operational capability. For that, we need to achieve full operational capability for our division,“ explained the TS-LKD leader.
„I would suggest that when the budget comes, we look at how much of the division's full operational capability is needed and how the budget responds to that,“ he urged, repeating that „haggling over funds“ allocated to national defence could have consequences for Lithuania's international authority.
Skvernelis: The commander of the army does not engage in politics
The position of the army commander is also defended by Saulius Skvernelis, leader of the Democratic Union Vardan Lietuvos (In the Name of Lithuania). The former Speaker of the Seimas asserts that Vaikšnoras is not engaging in politics, but is expressing sincere concern about the provision of the national defence system.
„The commander of the army does not engage in politics. The army commander is responsible for our security. And if war or conflict breaks out, it will be the commander of the army who makes the decisions, and his responsibility will be one of the most important,“ Skvernelis told reporters in the Seimas.
„The commander of the army is concerned with our security and the provision of the army, and the head of every institution has the right to express his opinion. (...) At least I didn't see any politicking,“ he assured.
Skvernelis acknowledged that there is a lack of clarity about whether the entire budget allocated to defence will actually be spent on national defence needs. Therefore, he emphasised, Vaikšnoras' concerns are well-founded.
„Today, there is no clarity, and it seems that the concerns expressed by the commander of the army are well-founded. Presenting figures that are more favourable than they actually are also undermines our security,“ he said.
On Wednesday, the head of the government announced that next year's state budget will allocate 5.38% of GDP to defence. According to Finance Minister Kristupas Vaitiekūnas, funding for national defence next year will total over EUR 4.79 billion. It is planned that no borrowed funds will be allocated to defence.
However, the prime minister also said that part of the 5.38% of GDP funding will be allocated to defence-related military infrastructure needs.
Later, both the opposition and business representatives raised doubts about the actual funding allocated to national defence, claiming that the increased defence budget funds could be used for purposes other than those intended.
Lithuania plans to allocate 5–6% of GDP to defence each year until 2030.
The government will discuss the draft state budget on Thursday.