The Baltic States will receive “special favour” from the United States in the future for being “model allies” who prioritise their own defence, US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth stated, ERR reports. The three Baltic countries have pledged to allocate 5% of their GDP to defence over the coming years. Allies that “fail to do…
Lithuania is seeking continuous presence of US combat troops in the country, regardless of the outcome of the US presidential election, President Gitanas Nauseda stated, BNS reports. Speaking after visiting US troops at the Pabrade training area near Vilnius, Nauseda noted that the base would soon be able to accommodate about 1,000 US troops. At…
Belarus has deployed military equipment and troops to its border with Lithuania, according to the OSINT monitoring group, Belarusian Hajun, RBC-Ukraine reports. The group said that the Armed Forces of Belarus (USRB) had transferred a tactical group of the 19th Mechanised Brigade to the Hudahaj station in Hrodna region, just seven kilometres from the border…
Lithuanian and German officials have signed an agreement on the rights of German troops, civilian personnel, and their families in Lithuania, BNS reports. The agreement was signed by the Lithuanian and German defence ministers, Laurynas Kasciunas and Boris Pistorius, as well as deputy foreign ministers Jonas Survila and Tobias Lindner, in Berlin. The agreement provides…
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 plans to allocate more than 3% of its GDP to defence, President Gitanas Nauseda announced, BNS reports. Speaking during a joint press conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda in Warsaw, Nauseda said that Lithuania would follow Poland’s example of raising defence spending. Also, he said that the two countries would soon begin training Ukrainian…
Around 5,000 NATO troops from various member states will be stationed in Latvia in the coming years, Defence Minister Andris Spruds announced, LETA reports. The troops will be part of an expanded multinational brigade set to be battle-ready by 2026. The Canada-led brigade will be primarily based at the Adazi military base, with headquarters in…
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk assured that Poland’s solidarity with Lithuania in case of an attack was “unquestionable,” BNS reported. Earlier, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte raised concerns about Polish commitment to defending Lithuania, despite NATO obligations. Simonyte explained that she was referring to “legal restrictions” on Poland sending troops abroad in case of war….
Germany’s Bundeswehr expects that the German brigade to be deployed in Lithuania will be made up of volunteers, Major General Ruprecht von Butler, commander of the German 10th Panzer Division, said, BNS reports. He assured that there would be enough troops willing to volunteer. Germany will deploy around 5,000 troops to Lithuania over 2025-2026, and…
