Lithuanian President Meets German President in Berlin: Permanent German Brigade Called Historic Step for NATO's Eastern Flank
The Office of the President of Lithuania said on November 3 that President Gitanas Nausėda met German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Berlin. The meeting focused on bilateral relations, cooperation in defense and the economy, European security, support for Ukraine, cultural ties, and Lithuania's preparations to assume the Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Nausėda thanked Germany for its leadership in strengthening European security and emphasized the strategic importance of the deployment of the German brigade in Lithuania. Germany's decision to permanently deploy a brigade in Lithuania, he said, is a historic step in the partnership between the two countries and makes a significant contribution to strengthening the defense and deterrence of NATO's eastern flank.
In light of growing threats from Russia, Nausėda stressed that Europe must continue strengthening its defense capabilities, protecting critical infrastructure, and ensuring an effective response to hybrid threats. He also highlighted the importance of long-term, sustainable European Union funding for the security of the eastern flank, including through the Eastern Flank Watch initiative.
On economic cooperation, Germany is one of Lithuania's most important trading partners and its largest investor. The two sides discussed German business investment in Lithuania, joint defense industry projects, and closer cooperation in technology.
Nausėda emphasized the need to continue providing military and financial support for Ukraine and to pursue a just and lasting peace, saying European security has to be based on credible deterrence and defense. Transatlantic relations were also discussed: Nausėda stressed that a strong transatlantic bond remains an essential guarantee of collective security and that Europe needs to assume greater responsibility for its own defense.
Lithuania will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2027. Its presidency priorities include European security and defense, support for Ukraine, EU enlargement, strengthening competitiveness, and enhancing societal resilience. The meeting also focused extensively on cultural and people-to-people ties: Nausėda emphasized the need to promote the learning of German in Lithuania and to take full advantage of the Year of Lithuania in Germany, an initiative that aims to introduce Lithuania more broadly to the German public as a country that actively contributes to the European space of culture, science, and innovation.
Source: Office of the President of the Republic of Lithuania
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：立陶宛总统 Gitanas Nausėda（左，资料图）。日本内阁官房内阁广报室摄，Wikimedia Commons，CC BY 4.0。 / Photo: Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda (left, file photo). Photo by the Cabinet Public Affairs Office, Cabinet Secretariat of Japan, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
