Politico: German chancellor sends 50 servicemen to Lithuania, pledging more

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz got into an awkward position by sending 50 German servicemen to Lithuania instead of the promised thousands.

The statement was made by Chief Europe Correspondent for Politico magazine Matthew Karnichnig, adding that such an act by the head of the German government caused bewilderment in Vilnius.

“During a visit to Vilnius at the beginning of the month [June], German Chancellor Olaf Scholz tried to show the host country his commitment to ensuring the security of the Baltics, but only caused bewilderment. Scholz told reporters that Berlin would be on track to transfer a “reliable combat brigade” to Lithuania, implying the deployment of several thousand servicemen,” Karnichnig emphasised.

The article notes that Scholz's assistants soon refuted his statement, explaining that Germany would transfer only the headquarters of the unit, which consists of nearly 50 people, while most of the troops would remain in Germany.