Germany vows to defend Baltics against any Russian threat

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Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Germany’s military is prepared to defend the Baltic region against “any threat” as he arrived in Lithuania to mark the establishment of a battle tank brigade aimed at bolstering NATO’s eastern flank.

Merz and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius took part in the first ceremonial roll call of the Panzer Brigade 45 in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius. Germany aims to complete the establishment of the brigade by the end of 2027, with as many as 5,000 personnel on the ground. It will be the country’s first permanently-deployed battle tank brigade abroad since World War II.

“We are determined together with our allies to defend NATO territory against any, any threat,” Merz told reporters in Vilnius alongside Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda on Thursday. Security in the region “is also our security,” he said.

With the US expected to roll back security commitments to Europe under President Donald Trump, Germany has pledged to play a greater role in the continent’s defense. The new center-right chancellor has vowed to transform the German military from a laggard to Europe’s strongest conventional army.

The decision to deploy an entire brigade in Lithuania came as part of a revamp of NATO’s defence posture following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It was taken after months of pressure from the government of the frontline Baltic nation, which is wedged between Russia’s exclave of Kaliningrad and Kremlin ally Belarus.

In a speech, Merz lauded Baltic governments for recognizing the Russian threat — at a time when Germany still harbored “illusions about Putin’s regime” — a source, he acknowledged, of “irritation” in the region on the European Union’s eastern border.

“I assure you, that time is over,” Merz said. “We are aware of the seriousness of the situation. And we are aware of our responsibility.”

Merz played down any prospect of a swift resolution to the war in Ukraine, despite a recent flurry of diplomatic activity. “We have no illusions. There is no quick solution,” he said.

A closely-watched Russian military exercise scheduled for September in Belarus, known as Zapad, remains a source of tension, Nauseda said, since it has simulated an attack on the Baltic states in recent years. Lithuania will monitor the activity, he said.

“In a normal scenario we don’t expect any special surprises,” the Lithuanian leader said. “But sometimes unforeseen incidents happen during military drills — and often conflicts start following these unforeseen incidents.”

There are currently around 400 German soldiers stationed in the Baltic nation, which the German authorities hope to increase to 500 by the end of this year, according to the Defense Ministry. German personnel have already begun their first training and exercise activities on the ground, which will be further stepped up in the coming months.

In February 2026, NATO’s multinational force in Lithuania will be subordinated to the Panzer Brigade 45, bringing the unit’s numbers up to 1,800. By summer 2026, Germany aims to have nearly 2,000 soldiers on the ground.

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However, whether Berlin can deploy a full brigade by the end of 2027 depends partly on how quickly Lithuanian authorities can expand infrastructure and accommodation for the further 3,000 soldiers needed to meet that goal.

Merz reiterated that Germany under his leadership is prepared to go along with a proposed NATO defense spending goal of 3.5% on core defense and an additional 1.5% on military-related infrastructure by 2032. “That’s doable and reasonable,” he said.

Lithuania is ramping up defense spending to 5.25% of GDP to bolster its own army as well as to host the German brigade. The Baltic nation estimates it may spend about €1 billion ($1.1 million) to build military and training infrastructure for the German forces.

A further hurdle is Germany’s struggle to attract more young people to military service. Berlin recently passed a law to improve pay and working conditions for soldiers deployed abroad, including those in Lithuania.

Germany’s expanded military presence in the Baltics has also opened up investment opportunities for defense giant Rheinmetall.

Rheinmetall signed a deal with the Lithuanian government last year to construct an ammunition production plant in Lithuania, expected to produce tens of thousands of artillery rounds each year and to create at least 150 new jobs.

The German arms manufacturer is currently in talks with neighboring Latvia on setting up domestic defense production, Bloomberg News reported previously.