(AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)Germany says it is willing to send around 4,000 troops to Lithuania on a permanent basis to strengthen NATO’s eastern flankBERLIN -- Germany is willing to send around 4,000 troops to Lithuania on a permanent basis to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said during a visit in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius on Monday. “Germany is prepared to permanently station a robust brigade in Lithuania,” Pistorius said. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda welcomed the announcement and said his country wants to build up the needed infrastructure by 2026. There, Germany leads a NATO battlegroup with currently about 1,600 soldiers, including about 780 from the Bundeswehr, dpa reported. It was not immediately clear what would happen to this unit when the new German brigade is stationed in Lithuania.

Source: ABC News June 26, 2023 22:34 UTC