German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has visited NATO's eastern flank for the first time. In Vilnius, he and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius attended the commissioning ceremony of a German tank brigade, which is expected to number 5,000 eventually.
"Dear Lithuanians, you can count on Germany and our soldiers. We will not allow Russia to drive a wedge between us," Merz said.
The brigade's creation in Lithuania has taken on special significance after Donald Trump's "turnaround," in which he clarified that the United States would no longer insist on a ceasefire in Ukraine.
Only 800 soldiers have been deployed in Lithuania so far. Merz believes that the brigade should be fully operational by 2027.
