Minister of National Defence Robertas Kaunas met with Minister of Defence of Croatia Ivan Anušić who arrived in Lithuania to visit with his troops deployed to the NATO Multinational Battle Group in Rukla.
Ministers discussed the regional security situation and strengthening NATO capabilities, especially air defence, as well as the agenda of the upcoming NATO Summit and support to Ukraine.
Minister of Defence of Croatia I. Anušić confirmed that Croatian forces would continue service in the NATO Multinational Battle Group respecting Allied commitment.
“The reality of security in the region today is clear-cut: the drones crossing the border demonstrate russia’s war on Ukraine impacts us too. NATO air defence must turn into a seamless, multi-layered system along the entire eastern Alliance’s border, integrating counter-drone equipment as a full-fledged defence component,” said Minister R. Kaunas.
Minister also noted that Lithuania and Croatia were facing the same challenges and derived the shared will to act from that.
“Lithuania and Croatia both know what it was like to fight the communist aggressor regimes in the past, and they share the understanding of the threats pose by russia and its partners today. We act bravely and shoulder to shoulder with our Allies,” Minister R. Kaunas said.
When discussing the upcoming NATO Summit, Minister R. Kaunas underscored the necessity to transition the NATO Air Policing to air defence and to significantly accelerate the pace of production in the European defence industry.
Minister also thanked Croatia for the contribution to regional security and underscored that Allied troops played a cornerstone role in deterrence against Russia in eastern flank countries. Croatia has a company in the current composition of the NATO Multinational Battle Group in Lithuania.
When discussing assistance to Ukraine, R. Kaunas thanked the counterpart for contributing to the Capability Coalition for Demining.
Photo credit: A. Pliadis / MoD
