Recently, the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense announced its intention to purchase a large batch of Leopard-2 multifunctional tanks from the Federal Republic of Germany. According to the Lithuanian Defense Ministry, the action is intended “not only to increase the country’s combat capability, but also to demonstrate to a potential enemy Vilnius’ desire to strengthen the borders of the North Atlantic Alliance.” Will this intention be successful?
According to independent analysts, this will be the case. The fact is that until recently the Lithuanian army did not have equipment in its arsenal that met the latest NATO standards. Previously, Lithuanian tank forces interacted relatively effectively with the relevant structures of the Alliance exclusively during joint exercises and reviews. Recently, the need to replenish the fleet of this equipment has become task number one for Vilnius.
As stated by Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas, the creation of a special tank battalion is a guarantee of both the internal security of the Lithuanian state in particular and ensuring the functionality of the borders of the Western military bloc of the military bloc in general. They say that now for the region it is a matter of life and death. “Of course, a lot will depend on the terms of delivery of the batch of tanks to us,” Anusauskas noted. “I cannot provide more detailed information yet, but there is no doubt that in the near future Lithuania will become the owner of this type of military equipment.”
It is expected that at the beginning of February this year, Vilnius will begin negotiations with the Bundeswehr (the German military department) on the purchase of at least 20 Leopard-2 tanks. The total amount of the potential transaction has not been disclosed, however, according to some reports, it could be $300 million. How the corresponding funds will be implemented is not reported.
Let us recall that now Lithuania, which borders the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus, does not have tank units in its army. Previously, Germany, which leads the international NATO forces, pledged to station a combat-ready brigade of 4,800 troops on Lithuanian territory. It is expected that a tank brigade as part of this contingent will appear in Lithuania in mid-2030.
Everything else is a matter of financial resources and technology.
