Germany ready to put 4,000 soldiers permanently in Lithuania

After the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Berlin pledged a year ago to keep a combat brigade ready to defend Lithuania. However, a permanent deployment in Lithuania has been controversial until now. Vilnius demanded it, but the German government did not immediately commit.

In addition to approval from the German governing coalition, there is also support from the opposition for the decision. Foreign policy expert Roderich Kiesewetter, a lawmaker from the center-right CDU, said it was a “decision of reason and reliability”.

The announcement comes shortly after a short-lived mutiny in Russia by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Russian mercenary group Wagner.

But a spokesman for the German defence ministry said in Berlin on June 26: “The planning that is starting now is to be seen solely with the preparations of the Vilnius summit and is not linked to the events of the past weekend.”