On Tuesday, the 27th of June, Latvia and Lithuania invited NATO to increase security on the eastern border, considering that the Russian Wagner Group mercenaries will be relocating to Belarus soon.
Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin arrived in Belarus on Tuesday. This was possible thanks to the agreement reached through the mediation from Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko to put an end to the mercenaries’ uprising in Russia.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin offered relocation to Belarus to Wagner mercenaries that refused to sign contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defence and continue military service.
During his visit to Paris, Latvian Minister of Foreign Affairs Edgars Rinkēvičs suggested looking at this from a different viewpoint, considering the fighting capabilities of the Wagner Group. His Lithuanian colleague Gabrielius Landsbergis said the speed at which Wagner mercenaries were moving in Moscow’s direction, covering hundreds of km in a single day, indicates that Baltic States should reinforce their defences.
“Our countries’ borders are a mere hundred km away from these activities. This means they would need eight to ten hours to suddenly appear somewhere in Belarus not far from the Lithuanian border,” he said, adding that this increase instability and unpredictability in our region.
“We have to take the defence of the Baltic region very seriously,” he stressed.
The visit of Baltic ministers to France are happening in a time when western superpowers are preparing for the upcoming NATO summit in Lithuania.
The arrival of Wagner Group in Belarus should be viewed in the context of the upcoming NATO summit, all discussions about defence, threat deterrence and decisions necessary to enhance the eastern flank’s defence, said Rinkēvičs.
German Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius announced during his visit to Vilnius on Monday, the 26th of June, that the country is prepared to deploy a brigade of 4 000 troops in Lithuania.
Landsbergis told his French colleague that Paris could assist with anti-air defence. “France could be a valuable partner in enhancing Baltic States’ anti-air defence capabilities,” said the minister. “We all know about French technologies, and they can be used as part of our deterrence strategy to ensure no Wagner or Russian army even considers crossing the borders of Baltic States,” he added.
Also read: Media: Russian general knew about Prigozhin’s plans