Lithuania took the first step to acquire German tanks last year, and on Tuesday the National Defense Council approved the purchase of Leopard 2 tanks.
Lithuanian presidential advisor Kestutis Budrys said the National Defense Council has agreed to purchase Leopard 2 tanks for the planned division.
Budrys said that the German Leopard 2 tank meets all of Lithuania’s requirements. The Ministry of Defense also announced last year that it preferred tanks of German origin.
According to Budrys, the Ministry of Defense was tasked with starting negotiations with German manufacturers. He noted that the final cost and number of tanks to be procured will be determined during further negotiations, LRT reported.
Lithuania has already signaled in spring 2023 that it intends to acquire tanks and form a tank battalion. Lithuania buys Leopard tanks to create a division. According to calculations by the Ministry of Defense, an average of 200 million euros per year could be needed until 2030.
German-made Leopard 2 tanks have the best balance between offensive and defensive characteristics, a German tank expert told the Tagesschau publication. The Leopard’s systems are reliable and this tank can be maintained and repaired easily and quickly, which is very important in a war situation.
Lithuania is also increasing the number of conscripts. Currently, around 3,800 conscripts are drafted into the Lithuanian Defense Forces every year.
Budrys also said that there is no direct military threat to Lithuania in the near future, but one must be ready for anything.
“It can be said that there will be no major changes in Lithuania’s short-term military threat assessment, but of course Russia remains a direct military threat to the entire NATO alliance,” Budrys said.
“The security situation in Lithuania now depends not only on the dynamics of the war in Ukraine, but also on developments in other regions, and this will also apply in the future,” Budrys said.
2024-01-23 14:15:00
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