During a visit to Estonia, Olaf Scholz assured Germany's Baltic NATO states of support. But he dodges one question.
Tallinn - During a visit to Estonia, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reaffirmed Germany's support for the Baltic states. In the event of an attack on NATO partners Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, Germany would commit itself to joint defence.
"Let's be clear: we are ready to defend every square centimetre of NATO territory against attacks," the Federal Chancellor said at a press conference on Friday following a meeting with his counterparts Kaja Kallas (Estonia), Krisjanis Karins (Latvia) and Ingrida Simonyte (Lithuania) in Tallinn. "And I mean that exactly as I say it."
Visit to Estonia: Olaf Scholz remains vague in Tallinn
However, Scholz left open exactly how many German soldiers should be stationed in Lithuania, for example. The German Press Agency reports a commitment to deploy a brigade of 3000,5000 to <>,<> soldiers to protect the country. The Bundeswehr is "on the move in a variety of ways, here in the Baltic States." This also includes the presence of German soldiers in Lithuania.
Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz accompanied by Bundeswehr soldiers at a reception at the Federal Chancellery in Berlin. © JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP
German troops have already been stationed in Lithuania since autumn 2022. In the wake of the Ukraine war, NATO had decided to strengthen the eastern border of the defense alliance. "The security situation here in the Baltic States, on NATO's eastern flank, remains delicate," Scholz stressed in Tallinn. The necessary steps have been taken.
According to Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, the Bundeswehr will also be involved in securing the upcoming NATO summit in Lithuania. Among other things, the Patriot anti-aircraft systems, which have been so successful in the Ukraine war, would be relocated from Slovakia to the Lithuanian capital Vilnius.
Olaf Scholz gives outlook on NATO summit in Tallinn
Olaf Scholz was also asked about the upcoming NATO summit. In response to a question as to whether an official invitation to Ukraine to join NATO would also be discussed, the Chancellor dodged it. The main purpose of the summit is to "organize concrete support for Ukraine in this situation." At the same time, Scholz assured the government of Volodymyr Zelensky that it would support his country "for as long as it is necessary". This is reported by the news portal European Pravda.
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Kiev should not have too high hopes for NATO membership in the near future. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg admitted on Wednesday that opinions on Ukraine's accession differ widely among existing members. (dil/dpa)
