NATO eastern flank: Pistorius wants to station 4,000 soldiers in Lithuania

According to Defense Minister Pistorius, Germany is ready to move “a robust brigade” from the Bundeswehr to Lithuania on a permanent basis. 4,000 soldiers are under discussion to secure NATO’s eastern flank.

Defense Minister Boris Pistorius wants to send around 4,000 additional Bundeswehr soldiers to Lithuania on a permanent basis to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank. “Germany is ready to permanently station a robust brigade in Lithuania,” he said during a visit to the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius.

The prerequisite is the creation of the necessary infrastructure to accommodate the soldiers and exercise facilities.

“No room for the smallest Security breach”

Lithuania had previously called for a stronger NATO presence in view of the Ukraine war and the uprising of the Russian mercenary group Wagner against the leadership in Moscow. “This is NATO’s front line, where there is no room for even the smallest security gap,” said Head of State Gitanas Nausėda after a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

“The events of the past weekend in Russia have shown the instability of the Kremlin regime. We can expect similar, if not greater, challenges in the future,” he said. “For the Baltic States and the entire eastern flank, air and missile defense and an increased presence of allied forces on the territories of our countries are of crucial importance.” Lithuania borders Belarus and the Russian Baltic Sea exclave of Kaliningrad.

More information coming soon.