Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko
Uncategorized

Amid Crisis, Belarus re-examines its political and security situation

Belarus will host the latest round of talks between Ukraine and Russia in Minsk on 1 August as Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko continues to push his country as a mediator in the crisis. Lukashenko’s motivation is not altruistic, however, as Belarus is not immune to the competition between Russia and the West over the strategic borderland countries of the former Soviet periphery. […]

Uncategorized

Russia-NATO: No “business as usual”

On 22 July, President Vladimir Putin addressed the Russian Security Council and effectively declared the demise of cooperation between Russia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Putin covered issues linked to the crisis in Ukraine, rejected Western allegations of Russia’s de facto involvement in the downing of Flight MH17, and then turned to security challenges stemming from NATO. […]

Defence

Germany does not approve of NATO’s military expansion to Poland and Baltic States

The German government does not approve of Poland’s and Baltic States’ request to expand NATO military presence in Eastern European countries, writes Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung. […]

Lithuania's Deputy Minister of National Defence Antanas Valys on Monday presented the National Defence System Medal of Merit to the outgoing French Defence Attaché Lieutenant Colonel Jean-Luc Lopez
Defence

Lithuanian-French defence cooperation in spotlight during defence attaché changeover ceremony in Vilnius

Lithuania’s Deputy Minister of National Defence Antanas Valys on Monday presented the National Defence System Medal of Merit to the outgoing French Defence Attaché Lieutenant Colonel Jean-Luc Lopez for his personal contribution to the development of cooperation between the French and the Lithuanian Armed Forces. The officer was representing the interest of the French Armed Forces in Lithuania since August 2011, the Ministry of National Defence says. […]

Defence

Grybauskaitė pledges to monitor defence spending closely

Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė has pledged to monitor whether additional funds recently allocated to national defence are spent transparently and effectively. […]

No Picture
Defence

Lithuanian rotation actively preparing for standby for EU Battlegroup next year

Fifty members of the Grand Duchess Birutė Uhlan Battalion are continuing training for a standby for the European Union Nordic Battlegroup (EU BG) in the first semester of 2015 which is going to be formed by Ireland, Estonia, Latvia, Norway, Finland, and Sweden, the Ministry of National Defence informs. […]

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Opinion

Opinion: Vilnius increases defence spending in face of disappointing responses from Western Europe

The Lithuanian parliament on July 10 adopted budget amendments to increase spending on national defense by 37.6 million euros. The decision, which was predicted by Stratfor, passed with the support of the government and the opposition and was praised by the American Embassy in Lithuania. With this measure, Lithuania will take its military spending closer to 1 percent of gross domestic product – a mark still well below NATO’s official target of 2 percent. […]

Defence

Sweden’s Saab Bofors Dynamics AB will supply Carl-Gustav munitions for Lithuanian armed forces

In the coming 5 years Saab Bofors Dynamics AB company of Sweden will be providing munitions for Carl-Gustav grenade launchers of the Baltic States’ armed forces, the Ministry of National Defence informs. […]