Lithuania’s incoming Social Democratic government will target defence spending of at least 3.5% of its gross domestic product, the party’s leader said on Monday.

The Baltic country of 2.9 million people which neighbours Russia will spend about 3% of GDP on its armed forces this year, according to NATO estimates, making it the military alliance’s sixth-biggest spender as a share of its economy.

Three-quarters of Lithuanians think Russia could attack their country in the near future, a Baltijos Tyrimai/ELTA opinion poll found in May, following its attack on Ukraine in 2022.

“Our election manifesto says that it should be not less than 3.5%, and this is unavoidable … security and defence will receive as much money as needed,” Social Democrat leader Vilija Blinkeviciute told reporters after her party’s landslide election victory on Sunday.

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