Grybauskaite calls deployment of German troops to Lithuania 'a historic turning point'

President Dalia Grybauskaite on Thursday called Germany's decision to deploy 1,000 troops to Lithuania an important milestone and emphasised Berlin's heightened responsibility for maintaining European stability in the wake of Brexit. 

"I think we are at a historic turning point due to objective reasons. First, a lot of time has passed and a breakthrough is occurring in the German mindset — time for self-doubt, fear, reluctance to take responsibility, and dread of what (Russian President Vladimir) Putin might think is over," Grybauskaite announced in an interview with BNS.

"With Britain withdrawing from the European Union, but remaining a NATO member, responsibility for stability in Europe will increasingly fall on the shoulders of Germany — not only for economic stability, but also for security," she stated.

Grybauskaite says that Germany's role has become increasingly vital in light of "the strategic tendency for the United States to turn more and more security responsibility over to Europeans."

The president spoke the day before the NATO summit in Warsaw is to begin, where the Alliance's leaders are expected to finalise the details of arrangements to deploy four multinational battalions in the three Baltic States and Poland as a deterrent to Russia.

Canada will lead the battalion in Latvia, Britain will head the battalion in Estonia, and the United States will head the battalion in Poland.

The Alliance's leaders also plan to discuss progress in developing a missile-defense shield and in particular focus on defending the Baltic countries given a military build-up in Russia's Kaliningrad exclave.

Grybauskaite says that these decisions show that NATO "began to hear" the Baltic stance on the current international environment.

"For the first time since the founding of the Alliance and our becoming its members, we will have such a significant package that will be offered as a deterrent in our region," she stated.

According to diplomats, the German battalion is likely to come to Lithuania next February. The Benelux Union and Norway may also contribute troops to the battalion.