"Security of the Baltics is our security": Berlin's meeting before NATO summit
Germany’schancellor and Baltic leaders in Berlin pledged stronger deterrence against Russia and more aid for Ukraine.
"The security of Lithuania is our security. The defence of Vilnius is the defence of Berlin." The quote on a plaque on Vilnius Town Hall comes from a Merz speech at the formation ceremony of the 45th Armoured Brigade in Lithuania last year.
"The security of the Baltic states is also Germany's security," - Merz said today welcoming the leaders of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in Berlin.
According to Merz, Moscow is testing how united and determined NATO is. Especially on the eastern flank.
Russia’s activity in the Baltic region
From July 1 Russia Closed Border Crossings With Baltic States and Finland. Russia’s government decree covers five crossings on the Finnish border, and one each on the Estonian and Latvian borders. Russia’s Foreign Ministry formally notified all three countries of the decision.
The closures cut one of the few remaining direct land transport links between Russia and its EU neighbours along this stretch of the frontier.
Russia’s borders with Finland and the Baltic States have reportedly seen mounting tensions since Finland and Sweden joined NATO in 2023 and 2024, respectively. All these countries have increasingly raised concerns over Russian military activity and hybrid threats near their borders.
Sweden’s military intelligence chief Thomas Nilsson said that Moscow is already expanding military infrastructure near NATO’s eastern border and could act on those plans once it regains resources from the war in Ukraine.
Summit NATO: Baltic view
Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal said the summit "must focus on delivery."
The Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs specified, outlining three priorities for this summit. Number one: to bolster the defence industry of each NATO member state. Second - the alliance is united, and is united behind Article 5, behind all the committments. And third priority, he said, was ensuring continued support for Ukraine.
"I do hope we come to a common term when it comes to tackling Russian and Belarussian hybrid threats, and all other provocations," -the Latvian President added.
Rinkēvičs warned that if the Alliance failed to meet its targets, the Baltic states could "have to pay more" in the event of a Russian attack. "To a certain extent, defence spending is also a form of deterrence and it is precisely this deterrence that we urgently need," he said.
The Baltic states had long since met and exceeded the 3,5% defence spending target agreed at last year's NATO summit in The Hague.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda believes that the EU can “intensify these efforts” by providing greater support to the military, the defense industry, critical capabilities and the eastern border, which “is in the common interests of the EU.”
More than welcome
In September 2024 Germany and Lithuania signed an Intergovernmental Defense Agreement, finalized all details of the deployment of the German brigade-including the accommodation of their families and access to education for children.
Currently around 1,800 Bundeswehr personnel are stationed in Lithuania. The Armored Brigade is scheduled to be fully operational as a combat unit by 2027, with a total strength of approximately 4,800 soldiers and 200 civilian employees.
"If you ask some Lithuanians what they think about German soldiers on the streets of Vilnius or other Lithuanian cities, they will answer that they are more than welcome. This is the best proof and example of our solidarity and our friendship," -Lithuanian President said.