Description: Newly appointed German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Germany’s Defense Minister Boris Pistorius inaugurated the permanent deployment of German troops while visiting Lithuania. Merz and Pistorius took part in a ceremony alongside Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nauseda where more than 5,000 German soldiers were expected to be permanently deployed by 2027 as an initiative to bolster NATO’s eastern flank against potential attacks from Russia. Merz used the occasion to restate Germany’s intent to increase defense spending bordering the 5% GDP limit as the main deterrent against future Russian aggression towards European countries. The German Chancellor also called other NATO members to increase defense spending and support for the Baltic states which were labeled as the first line of defense against Russian aggression.
Impact: Merz’s visit to Lithuania is a show of force statement which generally aimed at stimulating NATO members to increase defense spending and counter Russia’s recent troop amassment on the Finnish border. The German Chancellor, ever since the contested elections, stands on shaky ground both domestically and globally, as Germany aims to increase its impact on global issues while tackling domestic crises such as the rise of the far – right and the country’s stagnant economy. Lithuania’s recent abandonment of Russian energy supply coupled with its geographic proximity to Russia, make the country a primary target for Russian hybrid threats. NATO members would continue to rapidly rearm and reinforce their defensive posturing as the war in Ukraine shows no signs of ending, while Russia would continue to pressure Europe’s eastern flank through hybrid threats emboldened by its position on the Ukrainian battlefronts.