Lithuania’s president wants his country to hike military spending to 3% of its gross domestic product (GDP) to enable it to host more NATO troops as the Baltic nations are hoping for a significant increase in the alliance’s presence in the region.
An increase in NATO’s presence in Eastern Europe and the Baltic states is expected to be announced at a summit in Madrid next week. But the alliance is divided over how big a military buildup it will be.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda told Reuters this week that he hopes Lithuania can host a brigade by 2027. “Infrastructure-wise, we are not ready to deploy a brigade-sized unit in Lithuania because there is no accommodation infrastructure here. I hope that by 2027 we will be ready,” he said.
“We are talking about hundreds of millions of euros for that purpose. And this is also a serious amount of money which allows me to talk about the necessity of achieving 3% of defense spending in the coming years,” Nauseda added.
A brigade-sized force is typically around 5,000 troops. Before February, Lithuania hosted about 1,700 NATO troops, which have been reinforced a bit since Russia invaded Ukraine. Latvia and Estonia also host a similar number of NATO troops.
According to a report from The Washington Post, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia have put forward a plan that would increase the NATO troop contingent in each country to about 6,000. They also want a force of about 20,000 troops on stand-by that could be rapidly deployed to the region with military equipment for the force pre-positioned in the Baltics.
But other European countries are not expected to go for such a large military buildup in the Baltics as they want to focus on other areas, including the Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and the Sahel.
Nauseda’s comments came as tensions are soaring between Lithuania and Russia over Vilnius’ decision to enforce EU sanctions on goods traveling through its territory by rail to Kaliningrad. Nauseda has said he is confident that Lithuania, a country with a population of about 2.8 million, won’t face a military response from Russia for the embargo because it is a NATO member.
A dirt poor “country” dependant on EU handouts, much like the rest of the Baltic prostitutes, Poland included. Crimea a river…
Lithuania is so tiny and so poor that it would make no slightest difference if it spent 100% of its GDP on it military. Another 1%, to a figure less than the US or Russia? Absurd.
They are just saying this to make more palatable their begging for a NATO (read US) defense umbrella.
Some countries will do whatever it takes to go out fighting vs slavery. Which option will you take?
I know, on your knees in front of Putin. Keep on sucking your master.
They are not doing what it would take to go out fighting. They are begging for the rest of us to come in and save them from trouble they are starting.
Along with NATO troops comes $$$$$$$$. I am sure bribery is involved.
Putin this Putin that..the weak diatribes of the West blaming a man and country putting a stop to a criminal hegemony pursued by the US, NATO and EU. Go Putin!
You and ridiculous “slavery” hyperbole. Go free the Palestinians if you’re serious.
If i could, i would. Palestine is to Israel what Ukraine is to Russia.
Well at least you have that right.
This pipsqueak has already riled China with its Taiwan “ra ra” and has lost all the benefits of its position for trading.
After seeing the regime in Ukraine get rich by begging, they thought they might as well attempt it too.
I bet he wants more Nato troops.
If I blockaded Kaliningrad I would be a little nervous too.
Mr Nausea (sic) has the same fantasies as Ze and his team of actors, scriptwriters, scenes-setters in Ukraine, and the West refuses to face any way to solve the situation.
By what right does the Fly have to command the Bear?
Didn’t Gitanas Nauseda say that Russia would not attack Lithuania because they are member of NATO yesterday…?! What is then the request for troops for…?!
The country has p*ssed off Russia, that is what it is for. It is like a little punk who kicks another fellow, then solicits others to protect him. Cowardly.
Yes, he sees what’s become of the Ukraine under Washington/NATO ‘protection’, and has just woke up to the realization he’s made a disastrous decision -accepting the order to blockade Kaliningrad.
Bend over, Gitanas, and kiss your ass goodbye.
The beggars of eastern block. What’s a sad tragic story. When a WW3 breaks out, no one will come to their rescue.
Another fascist state aligned with their Lithuanian-Polish Ukrainian criminal cousins.
Their navy is a half dozen old tug boats and their military is a joke, but they want to provoke WW 3.