Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas said he would propose to increase Lithuania’s defense budget this year amid worries of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
“I suggest adjusting this year’s budget,” Anusauskas said after reports that Russia was not pulling back troops from Belarus after the conclusion of military drills.
He said additional funding would be used to speed up purchases of military equipment.
Lithuania has decided to push forward purchases of multiple launch rocket systems and combat drones. Other acquisitions that would be brought forward will not be publicized yet, according to Anusauskas.
“The existing resources will not be sufficient to complete the procurement processes, therefore, in the existing situation, I would suggest allocating necessary resources for those stepped-up procurements,” the minister said.
Lithuania’s planned military spending amounts to 1.2 billion euros this year.
Belarus announced on February 20 an extension of joint military drills with Russia. Minsk said the drills would be prolonged due to tensions in Ukraine.
Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis commented that Russia was violating its earlier promises by keeping troops in Belarus.
“This is clearly a preparation for attacking Ukraine toward Kyiv and a creeping annexation of Belarus,” Landsbergis tweeted, noting that Russia keeping its forces in Belarus significantly affected security situation in Lithuania and other countries bordering the country.
Anusauskas also said he would ask NATO allies to keep the additional capabilities they had recently deployed in Lithuania longer.
Leading the international NATO battalion in Lithuania, Germany last week deployed additional 350 troops, while Norway, which was also taking part in the military unit, decided to send additional 60 troops. The UK has also recently sent a small reconnaissance team to Lithuania.
“This week I will be meeting with the defense ministers from the countries that have troops in Lithuania, and we will be speaking about the need for long-term presence of additional forces in Lithuania,” Anusauskas said adding that the German and Danish defense ministers were coming to Lithuania.
Vilnius had foreseen that that Russian troops would stay in Belarus event once the planned drills were over, Anusauskas said.
“We have always said that it’s not just them staying. From the very beginning, we viewed that as an occupation of Belarus, and those forces that entered Belarus have no plans to leave,” the minister said. “Belarus has been made a de facto part of Russia and they just need to formalize that, and the presence of forces is part of the effort.”
According to the minister, Russian troops in Belarus pose no direct threat to Lithuania yet, but “once they are finished with Ukraine”, the same forces would be moved against Lithuania and Poland. (LRT/Business World Magazine)