Dovilė Šakalienė

Dovilė Šakalienė (born 1 June 1978) is a Lithuanian politician who served as the Minister of National Defence from 12 December 2024 until 22 October 2025. She has been a member of the Seimas since 2016 and previously worked as a psychologist and human rights defender.

Biography Šakalienė completed high school in Panevėžys in 1996 and earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from Vilnius University in 2001. She later received a degree in legal psychology from Mykolas Romeris University in 2003. From 2004 to 2016, she worked at the Lithuanian Human Rights Monitoring Institute, where she criticized legislative proposals restricting LGBT rights and abortion rights.

From 2011 to 2015, she hosted the Žinių radijas program "Žmogus žmogui" and served as an accredited journalist at the Council of Europe from 2012 to 2016.

During her time in the Seimas, Šakalienė introduced amendments to the Law on the Framework of the Protection of the Rights of the Child, banning corporal punishment and redefining child abuse to include psychological abuse and neglect.

On 22 March 2021, she was sanctioned by the Chinese government after the European Union imposed sanctions on China over Xinjiang.

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Šakalienė housed a Ukrainian refugee family and advocated for stronger European defense policies.

Position on Ukraine In June 2025, Šakalienė affirmed that Lithuania "will never give up" on Ukraine's aspiration to join NATO, emphasizing that decisions on membership should rest with the Alliance itself—not with external actors. She warned of a dangerous "new axis" composed of Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran, and called for NATO to speak clearly against attempts to undermine its credibility.

Minister of National Defence After the 2024 Lithuanian parliamentary election, Šakalienė was nominated by Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas as Minister of National Defence. She assumed office on 12 December 2024, succeeding Laurynas Kasčiūnas. She resigned on 22 October 2025 amid a dispute with prime minister Inga Ruginienė over defence spending.

Awards and honors Friendship Medal of Diplomacy (2026)