Pistorius visits NATO partners: “Lithuania’s security is also our security”

Defense Minister Pistorius wants to hold military-political talks in Lithuania today. He will also watch Lithuanian armed forces training with Bundeswehr soldiers who have been supporting Lithuania’s defense since last year.

Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has started a two-day visit to Lithuania by promising solid military support to protect NATO partner. The SPD politician first wants to observe the joint military exercise “Griffin Lightning” at the Pabrade military training area today, in which around 600 soldiers from the German armed forces practice defending the country against an aggressor together with the Lithuanian military.

Political talks with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte and Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas are planned for the afternoon in the capital Vilnius.

Thanks to German soldiers

After his arrival on Monday evening, Pistorius met soldiers from the German contingent of the NATO combat group Enhanced Forward Presence (EFP) in Rukla. Germany leads the multinational battle group to secure NATO’s eastern flank and also provides tanks, self-propelled howitzers and anti-aircraft systems.

Around 1,450 soldiers from Germany are currently stationed in Lithuania. “We stand firmly by the side of our partners and friends,” said Pistorius in Rukla. “Lithuania’s security is also our security, and that’s why this engagement is so important.”

German combat brigade in Lithuania since autumn 2022

As a reaction to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, Germany has had a combat brigade ready to defend Lithuania since the autumn of last year. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and Lithuanian President Nauseda agreed on this in June. However, the agreement is interpreted differently. The government in Vilnius assumes that a complete brigade with changing personnel will be stationed in Lithuania.

The federal government, on the other hand, has repeatedly stated that it has a combat-ready brigade for Lithuania, stationed partly in the Baltic state and partly in Germany. In the event of a tension, it should be able to be laid quickly and completely within ten days.

Domestic political debate about permanent presence

The question of a permanent presence in Lithuania also caused domestic political discussions. Most recently, Nauseda and Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, who insisted on a further formalization of the agreement, which the head of state brusquely rejected.

In an interview in early March, Landsbergis figuratively compared the situation with the brigade to “catching an eel in the water with your bare hands”. Lithuania must create the infrastructure for the promised German brigade.

NATO decides on protection on eastern flank

The German side pointed out that ultimately NATO would first have to make a decision on how protection on the alliance’s eastern flank should look like.

After Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula in 2014, suspicions of Russia grew among NATO’s eastern partners. Even before the Russian attack on Ukraine, the alliance was therefore increasing its presence along its eastern flank. The multinational formations should make it clear that an attack would be answered by the entire alliance.