Lithuania’s president called on NATO members to deploy more troops to the Baltic region, citing a “very bad cocktail” of new threats from Belarus.
(Bloomberg) — Lithuania’s president called on NATO members to deploy more troops to the Baltic region, citing a “very bad cocktail” of new threats from Belarus.
President Gitanas Nauseda said enemy forces could arrive at Lithuania’s border in a “matter of a few hours,” citing the potential presence of Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group, tactical nuclear weapons and new “aggressive rhetoric” from Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
“We need boots on the ground,” Nauseda told Bloomberg Television in an interview ahead of a two-day summit that he’s hosting in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius. “We need more forward defense here.”
Hours earlier, Canada became the latest country to announce that it will bolster its troop presence, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau saying his military will more than double its deployment in Latvia to shore up NATO’s eastern flank. Germany last month announced it was prepared to station a permanent brigade of about 4,000 troops in Lithuania.
Under a deal brokered by Lukashenko, Wagner troops under Yevgeny Prigozhin that came within 200 kilometers (124 miles) from Moscow in a failed revolt were allowed to move to Belarus in exchange for dropping criminal charges. Nauseda said his government so far has no evidence that Wagner soldiers are being redeployed in Belarus.
Leaders from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization are meeting for the Vilnius summit as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine approaches 18 months. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will arrive in the Lithuanian capital to make a pitch to join the alliance, even as US President Joe Biden says the war-torn nation isn’t ready for membership.
Nauseda said the alliance will need to lay out a “very clear path” for Ukraine’s membership — and that such a signal would be a crucial help for the country’s morale as it fends off Russia’s invasion.
“Ukraine should know that the doors of NATO are open to them too,” the Lithuanian president said.
Many NATO leaders are pushing hard to give Ukraine a perspective for membership. The 31 member states will announce fresh weapons deliveries to Kyiv as they offer long-term support against Russia’s attack.
–With assistance from Max Ramsay.
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