During a visit to Vilnius, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced today that Germany intends to permanently deploy approximately 4,000 military personnel to Lithuania in order to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank. According to DPA, this commitment is contingent upon the establishment of the necessary infrastructure to accommodate Bundeswehr personnel and provide training facilities.
In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Germany has pledged to support Lithuania by maintaining a combat brigade ready to respond in the event of an attack. Until now, the question of whether German troops should be permanently stationed in Lithuania, a demand strongly advocated by the government in Vilnius, remained uncertain. However, Berlin had been hesitant about such a commitment for an extended period.
Currently, there are 20 members of the German brigade stationed at the Rukla base in Lithuania, while others are positioned at various locations in Germany. If the situation in the Baltic region escalates, the troops in Germany are scheduled to relocate to Lithuania within ten days.
Lithuania shares borders with Russia’s Kaliningrad region to the west and Belarus to the south.
