Gerda Jakštaitė-Confortola
Ph.D., Associate Professor
Department of Political Science, Vytautas Magnus University
Lithuania
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, Lithuania and the other Baltic States have been asking NATO to increase allied forces in their territory. At NATO Summit in Madrid, NATO leaders decided to change multinational battalions on NATO's eastern flank into brigade structures with the plan for Germany to lead the brigade for Lithuania. In June 2022, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz signed a joint communique stating that “in addition to the current and reinforced enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group already in place, Germany is ready to lead a robust and combat-ready brigade in Lithuania dedicated to deter and defend against Russian aggression”.
Despite the signed document, the German brigade issue in Lithuania caused heated discussions among foreign and security policy decision-makers and other actors. Lithuania's officials have consistently stressed the need to have an entire German brigade deployed in Lithuania permanently. Meanwhile, according to German Defense Minister, the German brigade assigned to Lithuania would be moved to the country within ten days if needed. Lithuanian politicians disagreed on how the communiqué between Germany and Lithuania on the deployment of the brigade should be interpreted, as well as whether Germany’s decision not to deploy troops in Lithuania is compatible with foreign and security policy interests of Lithuania.
Lithuania’s Minister of National Defense Arvydas Anušauskas, initially seeming somewhat satisfied with the communique citing ten days as a sufficient time limit for the arrival of the German brigade, later adjusted his interpretations of the document between Germany and Lithuania, claiming that Lithuania and Germany are moving "step by step" towards a common goal. As a result of his initial position, which seemed not to be in line with the official position of Lithuania, Lithuania’s Minister of National Defense was criticized by both members of the opposition and his political party. For instance, the Head of the National Security and Defence Committee (NSDC), Laurynas Kasčiūnas, pointed out that Lithuania’s Minister of National Defense made a mistake and stressed that Lithuanian officials should not make ambiguous statements.
Meanwhile, Lithuania's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gabrielius Landsbergis, suggested that Lithuanian and German leaders refined the agreement and pointed out that the main interest of Lithuania was to have a permanent deployment of the German brigade in Lithuania’s territory. However, he also voiced concerns that the German troops arriving after ten days were not fast enough.
Former Vice-minister of National Defense Vilius Semeška declared that the joint communique was not enough for Lithuania’s interests. Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė and the Minister of Foreign Affairs (members of the same political party) encouraged the President of Lithuania, a key figure in Lithuania’s foreign policy decision-making according to the country's constitution, to elaborate on the communique's content. Meanwhile, former diplomat Albinas Januška, for instance, highlighted the importance of the communique claiming that this document is an important step forward.
The Presidential Palace, on the other hand, criticized the above-mentioned domestic contestations claiming that currently, in the security context, such contestations are irresponsible steps to take and urged Lithuanian politicians not to send "ambiguous signals" to Lithuania’s allies. President Gitanas Nausėda also emphasized that he did not see "any drama" in the situation. Moreover, the president pointed out the importance of Lithuania's commitments and homework that Lithuania has to do (referring to sound investments and building a suitable infrastructure). According to the President of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda, Germany, "is not the kind of girl you can invite for a good evening by the lake in the open air. It is a serious army that needs to be offered a marriage contract." Thus, the presidential institution, one of the most important institutions in Lithuania's foreign and security policy decision-making, attempted to smooth domestic contestations about the German brigade. Other actors shared a similar position in Lithuania's foreign policy process: some academics called Lithuania's position too "combative", suggested a more cautious posture and highlighted that Lithuania needs Germany, not vice versa.
However, despite different interpretations of Germany‘s commitments, the bottom line is that Lithuania's foreign and security policy decision-makers want German troops permanently stationed in Lithuania territory.