Lithuania and Latvia call on NATO to Strengthen Defense of Eastern Borders due to Wagner PMC in Belarus
Baltic countries are concerned about the presence of Wagner Group mercenaries in Belarus. In particular, the foreign ministers of Lithuania and Latvia urged NATO on Tuesday, June 27, to reinforce their eastern borders in response to the actions of the Kremlin regime, according to Reuters.
The Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs and President-elect, Edgars Rinkēvičs, emphasized the importance of assessing the situation from a national security perspective, as the presence of Wagner Group members and their leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, in Belarus poses a potential threat to the country.
"This should be considered in the context of the NATO summit and all the discussions we are having on defense, deterrence, and the necessary decisions to strengthen the security of the eastern flank," said the Latvian politician.
Gabrielius Landsbergis, the Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, noted that the speed at which Wagner Group members moved towards Moscow during the recent coup attempt indicates their danger, thus highlighting the need to strengthen the defense capabilities of the Baltic countries.
"Our countries' borders are only a few hundred kilometers away from this activity, so it could take them 8-10 hours to suddenly appear somewhere near Lithuania in Belarus. This creates a more unstable, unpredictable environment for our region. We need to take the security of the entire Baltic region very seriously," said Landsbergis.
Recall that the leader of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, arrived in Belarus on Tuesday as part of an agreement with self-proclaimed President Alexander Lukashenko, to put an end to the activities of the mercenaries in Russia.
The Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs spoke to his French counterpart, stating that Paris could assist the Baltic countries with air defense.
"France can be a valuable partner in strengthening the capabilities of air defense for the Baltic countries. We are aware of French technology, and it can be used as part of our deterrence strategy, so that no Wagner, no Russian military ever even considers crossing the borders of the Baltic countries," said Gabrielius Landsbergis.
Considering that Belarus shares borders with three NATO member countries (Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland), the President of Poland, Andrzej Duda, previously expressed concern about the presence of the Wagner Group in Belarus, considering it a highly negative signal for his country.
On Monday, Germany announced its readiness to permanently deploy a 4,000-strong army brigade in Lithuania.
Lithuania is also preparing to introduce changes to legislation regarding the formation of partisan units and resistance groups in the event of an invasion and the declaration of a state of war.