Baltic transport ministers called for increased EU funding for strategic transport infrastructure projects, The Baltic Times reports. The ministers insisted that the Connecting Europe Facility has to remain one of the key instruments in the EU’s next multiannual financial framwork as of 2028, with sufficient funding for cross-border transport, energy, and electronic communications projects. They…
The presidents of Lithuania and Poland, Gitanas Nauseda and Andrzej Duda, have signed a declaration on deepening bilateral defence and security ties, Baltic News Network reports. The presidents made the declaration during Nauseda’s official visit to Poland. At the same time, Lithuanian and Polish officials signed cooperation agreements on cyber security and defence industry, TVP…
The foreign ministers of Estonia and Finland, Margus Tsahkna and Elina Valtonen, called for allowing Ukraine to attack military targets inside Russia using Western weapons, YLE reports. They were speaking at a joint press conference in Helsinki. The two ministers discussed support for Ukraine, security in the Baltic Sea region, other foreign and security policy issues,…
Lithuania should spend at least 3.5% of its GDP on defence each year, President Gitanas Nauseda stated, BNS reports. He said that military spending should be increased “year after year” to implement plans to modernise the Lithuanian Armed Forces (LGP) and host a full German brigade in the country. Meanwhile, Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen, speaker of the Lithuanian…
Latvia will host an international “drone summit” in the beginning of 2025, Defence Minister Andris Spruds announced, LSM reports. He said that the summit would promote the creation of secure supply chains for drone components and the production of drone systems in NATO member states. The cooperation was aimed at ensuring targeted deliveries of unmanned…
Ukraine should have the right to strike Russian air bases to “eliminate the sources of attacks and save lives,” Estonia’s Defence Minister, Hanno Pevkur, stated, ERR reports. He pointed to Russia’s continued attacks on residential buildings and critical infrastructure. Ukraine knows where the strikes are coming from, Pevkur noted. He reiterated Estonia’s position that the…
The General Jonas Zemaitis Military Academy of Lithuania (LKA) has opened an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) competence centre, Militarnyi reports. Defence Minister Laurynas Kasciunas said that the drone competence centre would teach how to fly drones and gain both theoretical and practical knowledge. LKA will organise both stationary courses in Vilnius and field courses in…
Lithuania will sign an agreement with Germany on the stationing of a German brigade in the country on 13 September 2024, Lithuanian Defence Minister Laurynas Kasciunas announced, dpa reports, citing BNS. The agreement will regulate the use of military bases and the arrival, movement, and departure of German troops in Lithuania. Also, the agreement will…
Lithuania’s Economy Minister, Ausrine Armonaite, rejected the idea of introducing new taxes to fund increased defence spending, BNS reports. Speaking in an interview with Ziniu Radijas, Armonaite insisted that additional money for defence should come from borrowed funds or through economic growth instead. Also, the government should use unused funds of state institutions, she said….