\u30a2\u30a4\u30c6\u30e0 1 \u306e 5 Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda welcomes German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Vilnius, Lithuania June 7, 2022. REUTERS\/Janis Laizans<\/p>\n
[1\/5]Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda welcomes German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Vilnius, Lithuania June 7, 2022. REUTERS\/Janis Laizans<\/p>\n
VILNIUS (Reuters) -Germany is ready to ramp up its military mission in Lithuania in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said during a visit to Vilnius on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
“We are ready to strengthen our engagement and to develop it towards a robust combat brigade,” Scholz told reporters after meeting with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and the prime ministers of Latvia and Estonia.<\/p>\n
“We will defend every centimetre of NATO’s territory,” he added.<\/p>\n
German government sources said Berlin would earmark one combat-ready brigade with some 3,000 troops that could be deployed quickly to defend Lithuania if necessary.<\/p>\n
The number of German troops in Lithuania would be ramped up to 1,500, from 1,000 at the moment, the sources said.<\/p>\n
This could be followed by expanding the multinational German-led NATO combat unit in Lithuania to the size of a brigade in the longer term, Scholz and Nauseda said in a joint statement.<\/p>\n
For Nauseda, this means the brigade will be based in Lithuania in no more than one-and-a-half years, he told reporters after visiting German troops stationed at the Pabrade military base.<\/p>\n
The German-led multinational battalion of originally about 1,000 troops was sent to Lithuania after Russia annexed Crimea, to stall a Russian attack until reinforcements arrive.<\/p>\n
The Baltics now expect more troops from Canada and Britain, which are in charge of similar NATO units in Latvia and Estonia, Nauseda told reporters.<\/p>\n
Berlin sent hundreds of additional troops to Lithuania in the immediate aftermath of Feb. 24 Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a “special military operation”.<\/p>\n
Asked about reports that Spain plans to send German-built Leopard main battle tanks to Ukraine, Scholz said Berlin has not yet received an export request from Madrid.<\/p>\n
Spain wants to supply Ukraine with anti-aircraft missiles and Leopard tanks, according to government sources cited by newspaper El Pais on Sunday. [L1N2XS048]<\/p>\n
Germany has so far refused to deliver Western tanks to Ukraine.<\/p>\n
Scholz has been criticised for sending mixed messages after triggering high expectations abroad with the announcement of a “Zeitenwende”, or turning point, and the injection of 100 billion euros into the German military three days into the Russian invasion.<\/p>\n
It was a major policy shift after decades of military restraint that were rooted partly in Germany’s bloody 20th-century history and resulting pacifism but Ukraine has accused Scholz of dragging his feet on the delivery of heavy weapons to Kyiv.<\/p>\n
The German army – the Bundeswehr – itself has severe shortcomings in equipment after decades of attrition following the end of the Cold War. At present it he Bundeswehr, has not a single constantly combat-ready brigade to defend German territory.<\/p>\n
Reporting by Andrius Sytas, Andreas Rinke, Sabine Siebold and Rachel More; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel and Angus MacSwan<\/p>\n
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