Lithuania urges NATO to strengthen the defense of the Baltic states
The Lithuanian Foreign Minister, Gabrielius Landsbergis, asked the North Atlantic Alliance on Monday to improve plans for the defense of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, especially in the context in which Russia is preparing the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, reports Mediafax.
Gabrielius Landsbergis said, according to the Financial Times, that while NATO has plans for various crises, it must adopt additional measures in the context of Russia's constant threats against its neighbors on the eastern flank of the Alliance.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he will send tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus in early July, and some officials in the Baltic states believe the subject of the bombs could be brought up publicly during the NATO summit in Vilnius.
"The defense of the Baltic states must be strengthened. Lithuania must be strengthened, as we have a vulnerable territory", said Gabrielius Landsbergis, referring to the Suwalki Corridor, on the border of Lithuania with Poland, an area between Belarus and the Russian region of Kaliningrad.
