On March 11 Vice Minister of National Defence Margiris Abukevičius met with Parliamentary State Secretary at the Ministry of Defence of Germany Siemtje Möller. The meeting focussed on the Russian military aggression against Ukraine, deployment of German reinforcement in Lithuania and bilateral cooperation in defence and cyber security.
“We see Germany as a strategic ally in both, NATO and the European Union formats. We are grateful for your steadfast commitment and leadership in the region, including your military presence in Lithuania as the framework nation for the NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group at Rukla which you have additionally reinforced recently. We appreciate the long-term investments in military infrastructure too , as well as your support to our procurements,” said Vice Minister.
According to M. Abukevičius, a close coordination among countries is vital in providing assistance to Ukraine .
“It has been more than two weeks since the launch of the military violence against Ukraine and the country has put up a massive resistance. Ukraine will stand for as long as we stand with it, and it is our duty. What Ukraine needs now is real military assistance, such as weapons, ammunition and other defensive capabilities. We need to closely coordinate the actions of the countries that send aid to Ukraine so that the Ukrainian military receive the help it needs on time,” said M. Abukevičius.
Vice Minister and S. Möller also discussed the significant increase in both countries’ defence spending and plans for investment.
“NATO cannot rule out any scenario, we have to be ready for collective defence in any region. Russia and Belarus pose a long-term threat, therefore we must speed up the NATO adaptation. We need to work on reinforcements so that we have forces ready to defend from the first minute, while as tensions in the region are increasing, we aim for a larger scale allied presence in Lithuania,” said Vice Minister.
A decision was taken to increase the defence budget and strengthen the Lithuanian defence capabilities at a greater pace in light of the Russian aggression against Ukraine. Additional funds will be used to acquire weaponry and military equipment and to strengthen cybersecurity. EUR 40.4 million will be dedicated for building three military camps for allied troops deploying in Lithuania.
Photo credits: A. Pliadis
