NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte met Lithuania’s Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius at NATO Headquarters on Tuesday to discuss defence on the alliance’s eastern flank, drones and support for Ukraine.
Rutte said the meeting was Sinkevičius’s first visit to NATO in his role as prime minister, adding that they talked about keeping NATO strong and Lithuania safe, the alliance informed in a release.
“NATO defends every inch of Allied territory, against any threat, from any direction,” Rutte said.
He cited an incident on 15 September in which Italian jets deployed by NATO from Šiauliai airbase downed a drone that violated Lithuania’s airspace, calling it “collective defence in action.”
Air and missile defence and troops in Lithuania
NATO is strengthening integrated air and missile defence and adapting its posture against drones through initiatives including “Drone Edge”, Rutte said.
Integrated air and missile defence refers to systems and forces used to detect and intercept threats such as aircraft, missiles and drones.
Rutte also pointed to NATO’s presence in the Baltic Sea and Forward Land Forces based in Lithuania, and welcomed investment in the Rūdninkai training area to host these troops.
Lithuania is expected to reach 5.38% of GDP in core defence spending this year, Rutte said.
On Ukraine, he noted Lithuania’s commitment to provide at least 0.25% of GDP annually in military assistance, a contribution of 38 million dollars to Ukraine’s defence industry, and support for energy infrastructure and railway locomotives.
