„As far as I know, she will visit the president today. It seems this issue will not be resolved this week,“ Sinkevičius told reporters in the Seimas on Tuesday.
„I think the president has probably shown initiative in meeting to explain the situation directly, not through the media or indirectly. It's a normal initiative,“ said the politician.
However, the Social Democratic leader emphasises that Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė can decide whether she trusts the cabinet members.
„The head of government, the prime minister, forms her own team and she decides on the trustworthiness of her cabinet members,“ he stressed.
Also, the politician notes that the minister can also decide her future.
„The decision can be made by the minister herself or the prime minister. These questions should be addressed to them,“ he emphasised.
A meeting between the president and the prime minister is scheduled for Wednesday
Sinkevičius also said that the president has a Wednesday meeting with the prime minister.
„The president and the prime minister are meeting tomorrow. I don't think it's just about the defence minister's issues; it's about broader issues. Naturally, the president is concerned. This area is very important to our country, so the president probably wants to ask questions and find out what is happening,“ he said.
The prime minister's advisor, Ingas Dobrovolskas, also confirmed to ELTA the planned meeting between the head of state and Ruginienė.
No speculation about who could replace the minister
The LSDP chairman does not want to speculate who could replace Šakalienė at this stage. According to him, while the minister is still in office, it is too early to consider other scenarios.
„We are not talking about a replacement yet. The minister is working; she is not stepping down and has not been dismissed. I think it is too early to start discussing possible replacements while the minister is still in office,“ said Sinkevičius.
„For now, the situation remains frozen, a status quo,“ he added.
Sinkevičius acknowledges that Šakalienė enjoys the trust of both the public and party members.
„The minister has the trust of both the party and, I believe, the public. She does a lot of necessary work for the state's security, resolves issues, and is certainly an active member of the government. But, of course, the situation has been somewhat marred by the initiatives of the minister herself or her team,“ the politician emphasised.
However, the politician acknowledges that the new information emerging in the public sphere indicates that „the situation is likely to intensify and escalate.“
ELTA recalls that last week, an informal meeting with public figures and journalists was held at the Ministry of National Defence (MND), during which it was allegedly confirmed that next year's defence budget will be smaller than it actually is.
This was met with sharp criticism from Social Democratic leaders. Party chairman Mindaugas Sinkevičius said that such meetings are „a strange genre“ and that, in his opinion, the minister is acting unprofessionally.
In turn, Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė, who met with Šakalienė on Monday, said that confidence in the minister has been shaken. The head of government said that the minister would still have to answer several questions raised during the meeting, not only about the unofficial meeting at the Ministry of Defence.
In addition, after the meeting with the minister, the prime minister announced that from now on, defence industry issues will no longer be handled by the Ministry of Defence but by the Ministries of Economy and Innovation and Finance.
For her part, Šakalienė claimed that there had been a misunderstanding. The politician explained that she had not known that an informal meeting on the defence budget had occurred at the ministry.
In addition, the Social Democrat explained to journalists that the initial draft budget presented in early October allocated significantly less national defence funding, amounting to less than 5% of gross domestic product (GDP).
After talking with the prime minister, Šakalienė promised to consider „whether it is possible to work in such an atmosphere.“