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Minister R. Kaunas and Chairman of the NATO Military Committee discussed air defence

Republic of Lithuania - Ministry of National Defence

2025-11-14
International cooperation | Security and defense policy

Minister of National Defence Robertas Kaunas received Chairman of the NATO Military Committee Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone who is conducting a visit tin Lithuania. They discussed regional security, air defence and support to Ukraine.

"Today we see russia testing NATO capabilities and readiness with breaches into the eastern flank's airspace. The security situation clearly indicates a necessity to step up air defence in the region. I look forward to the enhanced vigilance operation Eastern Flank Watch becoming a milestone in reaching this objective," Minister R. Kaunas said.

Minister thanked Admiral for the support to Italy's decision to deploy the SAMP/T long-range air defence system to Lithuania in the framework of the Rotational NATO Air Defence Model. He also briefed the guest on Lithuania's work on strengthening national defence capabilities and discussed the airspace violations caused by the hot-air smugglers' balloons and drones.

When discussing the NATO defence capabilities, minister reassured of Lithuania's continued commitment and increase of defence spending next year. The financial ambition for 2026–2030 remains set on 5–6% of GDP defence budget in order to provide full infrastructure for the German Brigade by 2027 and have Full Operational Capability Division by 2030.

Discussing regional security, Minister underscored the critical importance of NATO readiness for execution of the defence plans and Allied presence in the region for effective deterrence and defence.

When addressing support to Ukraine, the recent developments on the battlefield were discussed. R. Kaunas also presented the assistance to Ukraine initiatives Lithuania was contributing to, including the Nordic-Baltic military equipment and ammunition package worth USD 500 million pledged yesterday. Possible NATO effort to put more pressure on Russia's shadow fleet was also discussed.