Lithuanian president: Germany ‘serious’ about Baltic deployment
Lithuanian President Gitana Nausėda on Friday gave a cautious response to a media report that there are too few volunteers in Germany for its current military deployment in the Baltic EU and NATO country.
“I had the opportunity to discuss this with Chancellor Friedrich Merz. I raised the issue and was assured that Germany’s commitments remain unchanged and that they are being taken very seriously,” Nausėda said in a video released by his office in Vilnius.
He also plans to discuss the deployment of the brigade with German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference this weekend, he added.
Nausėda was responding to a report in Germany’s Der Spiegel magazine, which, citing a confidential Defence Ministry document, highlighted personnel problems in setting up the brigade.
According to the report, the Bundeswehr – Germany’s armed forces – lacks volunteers for service on NATO’s eastern flank – particularly among enlisted ranks, where too few soldiers are signing up.
Lithuania borders Russia’s Baltic Sea exclave of Kaliningrad and Moscow’s close ally Belarus.
The Bundeswehr is still in the process of establishing Panzerbrigade 45 in Lithuania. Equipped with main battle tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, the formation is intended to provide enhanced protection for NATO’s eastern flank.
It was promised by the German government in response to the growing threat from Russia and formally entered service in April 2025.
The brigade is expected to be fully operational by 2027 with a total strength of 4,800 soldiers and 200 civilian employees. Currently, there are about 1,700 Bundeswehr personnel stationed in Lithuania.
Nausėda stressed the need to share the experiences of the troops already in Lithuania with the public in Germany so that the posting becomes more attractive to potential recruits.
“People need to know that Lithuania is truly a country worth serving in, that it is possible and safe to come here with your family,” he said. “All the promises we have made to our German partners will be kept.”
