Vilnius decided against handing over medium-range air defence systems, as well as 155mm howitzers, to Ukraine, Lithuanian Defence Minister Arvydas Anusauskas said on November 21. The decision was made during a meeting of Lithuania’s State Defence Council, called in response to the missile strikes in Poland. It was attended by the country’s top officials, including…
International instructor training, involving troops from Ukraine, has been completed at the Lithuanian Armed Forces School, Lithuanian Armed Forces have said. The course was aimed at soldiers from NATO and partner countries. During the course, participants were trained on the fundamentals of military training, shooting, firearms and physical training. They also acquired information and skills…
In response to the recent missile incident in Poland, Lithuania’s State Defence Council on November 21 agreed to step up the acquisition of medium-range air defence systems. “The State Defence Council members agreed on the need to accelerate the acquisition of medium-range air defence systems,” Kestutis Budrys, a chief adviser to Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda,…
Laurynas Kasciunas, chairman of the Lithuanian parliamentary Committee on National Security and Defense (NSGK), and a group of fellow lawmakers have proposed to allocate 3.6 million euros in additional funding to the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union. According to Kasciunas, such a decision would bring the Riflemen’s Union funding up by 50%. The move has been coordinated…
Additional defence budget planned in 2023 government spending bill will be used to purchase weapons and ammunition, according to Defence Minister Arvydas Anusauskas. “I believe it would go toward our major arms and ammunition purchases,” the minister said on November 17. “All countries are queuing up to buy weapons, and we want to increase some…
Lithuania’s national security is a key factor when deciding whether to hand over PzH 2000 howitzers and NASAMS air defence systems to Ukraine, President Gitanas Nauseda insists. “We will certainly do our best and we will continue to help Ukraine to the best of our abilities. However, I reiterate that defence must be ensured evenly…
The Lithuanian government on November 16 adjusted next year’s draft budget to allow raising defence spending to 3% of GDP through borrowed funds, provided that the overall budget deficit in 2023 did not exceed 4.9% of GDP. This would allow the government “to borrow between the level of 2.5% of GDP and 3% of GDP…