"The Heads of State and Government plan to discuss the security situation in the region in connection with Russia's war in Ukraine, support for Ukraine and the decisions of the forthcoming NATO summit in Madrid to strengthen the Eastern flank," according to the Latvian goverment press office ahead of the meeting.
Scholz used the occasion to deny Germany was dragging its heels on giving military aid to Ukraine, claiming that in fact Germany is second only to the United States in this regard. He also said Germany would boost its presence in the Baltic region, but did not go into specifics regarding the number or types of troops to be deployed, or when they would be deployed.
“Germany is one of the key military supporters of Ukraine, with probably only the United States providing more support, but Germany is certainly providing a lot of assistance to Ukraine,” Scholz said during a joint press conference on Tuesday.
“We welcome Germany’s decision to boost its presence in Lithuania as it’s a very welcome and right decision. It will strengthen Lithuania, it will strengthen Latvia, and it will strengthen Estonia,” the Latvian prime minister said.
We will defend every centimetre of #NATO territory – I reiterated this to our Baltic partners in Lithuania today. Germany will strengthen NATO’s eastern flank and lead a robust combat brigade in Lithuania to bolster both deterrence and defence.
The German Federal Chancellor also visited NATO's Enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup Lithuania, which is led by the Bundeswehr, and expressed willingness to increase Germany's military presence in the Baltic region.
— Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz (@Bundeskanzler) June 7, 2022
We are strong when united. As #NATO we shouldn't be afraid of our strength to ensure that borders in Europe are not changed by force. With @OlafScholz @kajakallas @GitanasNauseda @IngridaSimonyte discussed strengthening of the #Easternflank and the best ways to help Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/uky1EKPXid
— Krišjānis Kariņš (@krisjaniskarins) June 7, 2022
You can watch the full press conference below.
— Gitanas Nausėda (@GitanasNauseda) June 7, 2022
