On May 26, the German Ministry of Defense announced that the country will ensure security for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit in Lithuania next July with Patriot missile batteries.
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| To protect the NATO Summit, Patriot batteries were 'called'. In the photo: Patriot surface-to-air missile interceptor system . (Source: Reuters) |
The German Defense Ministry's announcement said that Germany will transfer Patriot batteries from Slovakia and support elements from Poland to Lithuania, and end the activities of the multinational air and missile defense combat force in Slovakia, which was deployed shortly after the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine military conflict last year.
The statement stressed that Berlin will provide land, sea and air capabilities to ensure security for the NATO Summit, scheduled to take place on July 11-12 in Vilnius (Lithuania), at NATO's request.
The German Defense Ministry did not provide further details but said Berlin would deploy units that are already deployed on NATO's eastern flank or could be operated from Germany.
According to the German Defense Ministry, Berlin will continue to support Slovakia, including adding more air surveillance radars, and offering to support air defense forces in controlling the country's airspace.
Earlier, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius confirmed that NATO partners had asked Berlin to use Germany's Patriot air defense system to protect the NATO Summit - where the next stage of the Russia-Ukraine conflict will be discussed.
Regarding NATO expansion, when asked about Ukraine's desire to be officially invited to join NATO at the upcoming Summit in Lithuania, the German leader's answer, along with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg's previous statement, said that NATO member countries still have different views on Ukraine's admission. This shows that Kiev's desire is unlikely to become a reality at the upcoming NATO Summit.
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