Lithuania under financial strain of accommodating German brigade

The planned deployment of a German military brigade in Lithuania poses major financial challenges for Vilnius, reports the German publication Der Spiegel based on a leaked cable from the German Embassy in Lithuania.

On December 18, the German and Lithuanian defence ministers signed an agreement on a plan for the deployment of the brigade, which foresees the relocation of around 5,000 soldiers and their families to Lithuania by 2027. Financial issues were not discussed during the meeting, according to Der Spiegel.

However, non-public diplomatic correspondence from the German embassy, obtained by the publication, shows that financing the infrastructure needed for the brigade poses a “major financial problem” for Lithuania.

In the diplomatic cable, the author of the report entitled “Enough money for Germany's infrastructure needs?” says it should be forwarded to the Inspector General of the Bundeswehr, to the heads of all the relevant departments of the German Ministry of Defence, to the 23rd Group of the Federal Chancellery, which deals with Bundeswehr-related issues.