Lithuania: Pres. Nauseda criticises Foreign Minister on German brigade debate

Lithuania’s President, Gitanas Nauseda, criticised the “harsh rhetoric” of Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis over the deployment of a full German brigade in Lithuania, BNS reports. Speaking in an interview with LNK, Nauseda said that such rhetoric was not helpful. He stressed the need to ensure trust in partner countries, noting that Germany was Lithuania’s “biggest ally.” Earlier, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius announced that Germany would station a permanent Bundeswehr brigade in Lithuania, following almost a year of talks on the deployment. Previously, Germany had said that only part of the brigade would be stationed in Lithuania and the rest on standby in Germany. Landsbergis had publicly pressed Germany on the issue.