Germany will move Patriot batteries from Slovakia to Lithuania, to help provide security for the NATO summit in Vilnius in July.
Germany will provide land, air and sea assets to protect the July 11-12 NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, the German Defense Ministry said on May 26. It said it would deploy units that are already on NATO’s eastern flank or that could operate from Germany.
The German Defense Ministry said it would move the Patriot system currently stationed in Slovakia to Lithuania and spare parts would also be shipped from Poland to the country.
The German military has pledged to continue supporting Slovakia in protecting its airspace. Germany has deployed Patriot systems on its territory since Russia launched its military campaign in Ukraine in February 2022.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks at a press conference in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, on May 26. Photo: AFP
On May 26, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz affirmed his determination to protect the Baltic countries during a visit to Estonia.
"We are ready to defend every inch of NATO territory against attacks," German Chancellor Olaf Scholz affirmed during a meeting with his counterparts from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in Tallinn.
Air defense capabilities of the US Patriot missile complex. Click on the image to see details. Graphics: Raytheon, RIA Novosti
Patriot is an air defense missile developed by the United States and has been in service with the US military since 1981. The Patriot PAC-2 variant can hit targets more than 60 miles away and fly higher than 100,000 feet, according to the US Missile Defense Agency.
The latest variant in the Patriot family is the PAC-3, which is capable of destroying airborne threats such as fighter jets, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), cruise missiles and ballistic missiles.
In April, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced that Ukrainian President Zelensky had accepted an invitation to attend the alliance's summit in Lithuania in July. Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said on May 26 that he hoped his country could join NATO by the time the summit is held.
Location of NATO member countries and countries that are/want to join the alliance. Graphics: Tien Thanh.
Duc Trung (According to AP, DPA )
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