Deutsche Welle
April 22, 2022

Germany’s Baerbock calls for stronger NATO strategy in Baltics

The German foreign minister has wrapped up a Baltic tour in Lithuania saying Germany is ready to send more troops to the region….

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Friday said Germany was open to sending more troops to NATO’s eastern flank, if the alliance agreed to this at a summer summit in Madrid.

As the foreign minister wrapped up an official visit to the three Baltic states with an appearance in Vilnius, she and her Lithuanian counterpart, Gabrielius Landsbergis, said NATO must be able to immediately and comprehensively repel any potential attack on the Baltic states.

“If NATO decides to increase its presence to brigade strength, then we in the Federal Republic of Germany will be in favor of making a substantial contribution,” Baerbock said.

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Later in the day, Baerbock traveled to Rukla, where NATO’s German-led Enhanced Forward Presence (EFP) battle group in Lithuania is stationed. The foreign minister first met with the battalion’s commander, Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Andrä, who updated her on the mission as well as familiarizing her with the newly positioned Ozelot (Ocelot) short-range air defense system (SHORAD).

Later she greeted roughly 1,000 German soldiers stationed there….

Baerbock praised the speed and professionalism with which German and NATO forces have met the challenge of very quickly shifting troops and materiel to bolster the alliance’s presence in Lithuania, saying it is impressive enough to do so in a few weeks, but that this current challenge had been met within five days’ time.