Lithuania’s new prime minister, in a phone call with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, said developing military and civilian infrastructure for the planned Bundeswehr brigade in his country will be a key focus of his work.
“I can assure you that both the government and I personally attach the highest priority to this issue,” Mindaugas Sinkevičius told Merz, according to a statement from the State Chancellery in Vilnius.
He also said he wished to work towards strengthening relations between Lithuania and Germany, which he described as “unique in Europe.”
The deployment of the brigade in Lithuania was pledged by the German government in response to Russia’s growing threat. It is regarded as a key element in strengthening NATO’s eastern flank and is meant to deter potential aggression against Alliance territory and assist in its defence.
The brigade is due to be operational by 2027. The plan is for a permanent presence of up to 5,000 soldiers, whose main base is to be a barracks complex with a military training area currently under construction in Rūdninkai.
Sinkevičius and his government were sworn in on Tuesday. The 42-year-old politician is the third Social Democratic prime minister since the general election in autumn 2024. Before taking office, he had announced his intention to make his first official visit abroad to Germany.