As Vice Minister of National Defence Margiris Abukevičius participates in the NATO Defence Ministerial in Brussels on February 16-17, he had a separate meeting with German Federal Minister of Defence Christine Lambrecht and thanked her for strengthening regional security with military capability deployment to Lithuania.
“We see the presence of allied troops on the ground in Lithuania as a critical element of deterrence. We are grateful to Germany for the swift decision to strengthen the NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group at Rukla with additional troops, it is an example of Alliance solidarity and collective defence commitment,” said M. Abukevičius.
Vice Minister also underscored that Lithuania took the current security situation very seriously and was getting ready for the full range of options.
According to M. Abukevičius, as the Alliance cannot discard any scenario, it should continue building on the deterrence and collective defence throughout the eastern flank of NATO. He also pointed out to Federal Minister of Defence the need to step up the assistance to Ukraine.
Vice Minister also addressed the present security situation bilaterally with Ministers of Defence of Poland, Italy and Georgia in Brussels. M. Abukevičius also met with French Minister of the Armed Forces Florence Parly in B9 format.
