"Mr Žemaitaitis is lying without blushing and is not stopping. It is no longer surprising that his and Russian propagandists’ reaction to Lithuania’s decision to substantially enhance its security is completely identical. Either Zakharova and Peskov have become members of the Nemunas Dawn or Žemaitaitis has joined United Russia – there is no difference when people lie to weaken Lithuania," Jansonas told ELTA.
"The truth is simple, the president proposed an opportunity for the Lithuanian people to contribute to the security of their country and at the same time earn interest from deposits, which are now simply in bank accounts without any interest paid out," said the adviser.
The State Defence Council recently decided that Lithuania should allocate 5-6% of GDP for defence in 2026-2030.
One of related proposals is creation of special savings accounts for people to keep their money and receive interest, which is not paid for funds kept in the current account.
Money would be kept in the national development bank ILTE and invested in Lithuanian economy, defence industry and infrastructure projects. Depositors could access their money any time.
Žemaitaitis has opposed the decision to raise defence spending.