Germany piles pressure on Russia at NATO border

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz traveled to Lithuania to mark a historic moment: the first deployment of German troops abroad since World War II, while calling on allied nations to step up efforts to bolster security across NATO's eastern flank.

Merz, accompanied by Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, attended a ceremony formalizing the creation of a new armored brigade stationed in Lithuania. The 45th Armored Brigade will eventually consist of 4,800 soldiers and 200 civilian personnel, and was first announced in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The unit is expected to reach full operational capacity by 2027.

“Together with our partners, we are determined to defend alliance territory against any aggression. The security of our Baltic allies is also our security,” said Chancellor Merz during the event.

The deployment aims to reinforce the defense of Baltic nations—Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania—against potential threats from Russia, amid concerns that Vladimir Putin could attempt further aggression in former Soviet territories.

“We stand firmly by Ukraine, but we also stand together as Europeans as a whole, and we act, whenever possible, as a team with the United States,” Merz added.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda expressed his gratitude to the German Chancellor, thanking him for responding to Lithuania’s request for stronger security guarantees. The country shares borders with both Belarus and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.

(QG - Source: The Guardian — Picture : © Unsplash)