NATO has turned Vilnius into a fortress defended by advanced weaponry to protect US President Joe Biden and other alliance leaders meeting next week only 32km from Lithuania’s razor-wire topped border fence with Russian ally Belarus.
Sixteen Nato allies have sent a total of about 1,000 troops to safeguard the summit on Tuesday and Wednesday, which will take place only 151km from Russia itself. Many are also providing advanced air defence systems which the Baltic states lack.
“It would be more than irresponsible to have our sky unprotected as Biden and leaders of 40 countries are arriving,” Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said.
The Baltic countries of Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia, once under Moscow’s rule but part of both Nato and the European Union since 2004, all spend above two per cent of their economies on defence, a larger share than most other Nato allies.
But for the region with total population of about six million people, this is not enough to sustain large armies, invest in their own fighter jets or advanced air defence. Germany deployed 12 vehicles Patriot missile launchers, used to intercept ballistic and cruise missiles or warplanes.
Spain has brought a NASAMS air defence system, France is sending Caesar self-propelled howitzers, France, Finland, and Denmark are basing military jets in Lithuania, and the United Kingdom and France are supplying anti-drone capabilities. Poland and Germany sent helicopter-enhanced special operations forces.
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