NATO moves Patriot missiles closer to Russia.
(Baonghean.vn) - Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas announced that NATO will deploy US-made Patriot air defense missile systems in the Baltic nation. Lithuania shares a border with Russia's Kaliningrad region as well as with Russia's ally Belarus.
State television channel LRT quoted Lithuanian Defense Minister Anusauskas as saying at a press conference in Vilnius: “This year, the rotational air defense system will officially come into operation, at least partially.” “Our goal is to have a rotation similar to the air control mission,” Anusauskas added, referring to the regular patrol flights of NATO aircraft in the airspace of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
Minister Anusauskas stated: “This principle will not be implemented only once every few months, but will cover all months of our calendar and significantly enhance our air defense capabilities.”
Last year, the U.S. and its European allies transferred a number of Patriot missile batteries to Ukraine as part of an effort to support Kyiv in its conflict with Moscow.
The Washington-led military bloc has deployed additional forces to Eastern Europe and the Baltic states in recent years, citing the ongoing military campaign in Ukraine. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned last month that the Western alliance “must prepare for a confrontation that could last for decades.”
For its part, Russia argues that NATO's continued eastward expansion and its cooperation with Kyiv are the root causes of the current conflict. Russian officials have repeatedly emphasized that the country considers NATO military units near its borders a threat to national security.
In January, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned that deploying more foreign forces in Lithuania would “only lead to escalating military tensions.”
