The defense ministers of Lithuania and Poland have called for the “internationalization” of the defense of the EU and NATO’s eastern border while visiting the border wall with Belarus near Vilnius.
During an official visit by the Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense to Vilnius, Lithuania’s Defense Minister Laurynas Kasciunas stated that the national border defense system would require around 600 million euros over a decade.
Meanwhile, his Polish counterpart, Wladislaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, promised to raise this issue at next week’s NATO summit in Washington.
According to Kosiniak-Kamysz, protecting the external borders with Russia and its allies remains a key task, writes Euronews, as reported by Telegrafi.
“The Polish state, along with its allies, will do everything to better protect the EU and NATO’s eastern border,” said Kosiniak-Kamysz.
“This is our highest call, and this call can be met not only by nation-states but primarily by the EU, and together we are calling for this to internationalize the issue of this border,” he added.
Reportedly, the recent remarks on border defense by both leaders come in the face of the threat posed by Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Last week, the leaders of Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland signed a letter calling on Brussels to get involved “both politically and financially” in building a 2.5 billion euro wall along the bloc’s eastern border with Russia and Belarus, to protect against military and hybrid threats.
Separately, Poland, which lost a soldier in a knife attack beyond the border wall on May 28, approved a 2.3 billion euro border defense program called the Eastern Shield.
“The situation in Lithuania and Poland is very similar. We will exchange our experiences and support the construction of Lithuania’s defense line as a line of defense for NATO’s and the EU’s eastern flank,” explained Kosiniak-Kamysz.
Lithuania’s Kasciunas described additional measures that he said would soon be implemented to “deter the advance of enemy forces.”
“Starting from the end of summer, we will reinforce several parts of the border,” said Kasciunas.
These measures include anti-tank mines, remote mines, and a network of anti-tank ditches and foldable bridges that could impede an approaching enemy.
Source: Botasot.info
