Lithuanian, Hungarian army chiefs talk Ukraine support

VILNIUS – Lithuanian Chief of Defense Lieutenant General Valdemaras Rupsys met with his visiting Hungarian counterpart Lieutenant General Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi on Tuesday and discussed the regional security situation and support to Ukraine.

"During the meeting, we agreed not only to exchange experience but also to cooperate on NASAMS and PzH2000 projects. I am grateful for the contribution of the Hungarian Armed Forces to ensuring NATO airspace security. Hungary was the first country after the United States to deploy rotational forces in Lithuania and it's the third time that it’s conducting a NATO air policing mission in Lithuania," Rupsys was quoted as saying in a statement released by the Lithuanian Armed Forces.

The Hungarian commander came for a three-day visit on Monday and has already met with Hungary's representative within the NATO Force Integration Unit and visited a training base of the Lithuanian army's Special Operations Forces, the army said.

On Tuesday, the guest is visiting Lithuanian army units, meeting with troops from the NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group and visiting the Hungarian contingent of the NATO Air Policing Mission in the Baltic states.

This is the third time since Lithuania's NATO accession that a Hungarian contingent has been deployed in the Baltic states to carry out a NATO air policing mission with JAS-39 Gripen fighter jets.