Baerbock promises Lithuania a brigade – while inspector warns: Bundeswehr still "blank"?

Created: 11/11/2022 3:43 p.m

By: Florian Naumann

Demand and promise: Gabrielius Landsbergis and Annalena Baerbock at their meeting in Berlin.

© Carsten Koall/dpa

Annalena Baerbock promises Lithuania Bundeswehr help.

But the devil is in the detail - and probably in the equipment: the army inspector still sees major problems.

Berlin – Annalena Baerbock wants to strengthen NATO's outer flank in the Ukraine war: with additional Bundeswehr troops in Lithuania.

And with those that can be moved there quickly from Germany.

The Foreign Minister emphasized this on Friday (11 November) at a press conference with Lithuania's Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis in Berlin.

"Your safety is our safety.

The security of Eastern Europe is Germany's security," she said.

Landsbergis had previously told the dpa that he expected Germany to send a brigade with up to 5,000 soldiers by 2026.

But the devil is in the details.

Lithuania assumes that a complete brigade with changing personnel will be stationed in Lithuania.

Germany wants to keep a large part of the soldiers in Germany ready at home.

In addition, shortly before the meeting, the Bundeswehr sounded the alarm.

Baerbock promises Lithuania Bundeswehr help: inspector warned shortly before

Because the inspector of the army, Alfons Mais, sees no major improvement in the equipment of the troops, despite the 100 billion special fund.

"At the moment, the army's material readiness for action is no greater than on February 24," Mais told the

.

At the time, Mais had warned that the army was "more or less blank".

“We handed over material from the army's stocks to the Ukraine.

In view of the situation, this is also completely understandable as a political decision," he said.

However, it will take time for the Bundeswehr to get this material replaced.

“The bottom line is that there is less than before the war began.” Everyone is “very grateful” for the special fund of 100 billion euros.

However, it shouldn't obscure the fact that it will take years before it affects the entire width of the troops.

It's about time: Alfons Mais at a meeting with Minister Christine Lambrecht (archive photo).

© Philipp Schulze/dpa

After all, corn expects improvement well before 2026. Partly.

“At the end of the year we expect the first deliveries of personal equipment: clothing, helmets, night vision devices.

Then, among other things, there are the modern radios that we have been waiting for for a long time.

"Projects that are important to us, such as retrofitting or increasing the number of units of the Puma infantry fighting vehicle, wheeled vehicles for the medium-sized forces, new helicopters, drone protection - we have to decide on all these projects now, because it will take time for the weapons to be produced," he warned.

Ukraine war: Baerbock hears demand for battle tanks again

Meanwhile, Landsbergis also wanted to work with Baerbock to supply western battle tanks to Ukraine.

The NATO countries that produce such tanks should agree on this, he demanded.

"I'm definitely in favor of providing Ukraine with whatever it wants and needs." Landsbergis emphasized that the supply of main battle tanks could ultimately save lives.

He saw Baerbock on his side on this question: "I don't have to convince you." However, there was no corresponding announcement on Friday.

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Baerbock, according to a survey currently the most popular politician in the country, instead directed clear words towards Russia.

Most of the countries in the world and the G20 see the war as a breach of international law, she said.

It was also made clear at the G7 and the UN that “this fatal breach of international law is neither accepted nor supported by the community.

Not at all.” That will now also be the message of the G20 summit in Bali.

Baerbock comments on Putin's G20 plans: "Clarifies what our strength is"

When asked how she assessed Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision not to travel to the Indonesian island for the summit next Tuesday and Wednesday, but to send Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov instead, Baerbock said: "In my view, the Russian regime's travel plans make it clear what our international strength is: that we stand together for Ukraine and for international law in these difficult times.”

Referring to Lavrov, who left the conference room at a meeting of G20 foreign ministers in Bali in early July immediately after his speech, Baerbock said that everyone could see at the time that Lavrov was not interested in the concerns and needs of the other participants, especially in the Global South had.

If he had stayed, he "would only have heard how terrible this Russian war of aggression against Ukraine is not only for the European but for the international peace order and for the international community in view of the exploding energy and food prices".

Baerbock met Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom on Thursday.

Christine Lambrecht and Markus Laubenthal, Deputy Inspector General of the Bundeswehr, at the memorial in Schwielowsee.

© Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa

Meanwhile, the Bundeswehr is also looking to the past: Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) opened a memorial for soldiers killed in Afghanistan on Friday on the Bundeswehr premises in Schwielowsee.

The bereaved of soldiers who died in action lay there weeping in each other's arms and laid flowers on memorial steles.

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