Military and political cooperation between Germany and Lithuania in the late 2010s to early 2020s

Since the mid-2010s, Germany has significantly adjusted its approaches to the use of the Bundeswehr, pivoting its strategic focus from regions distant from the Euro-Atlantic community to those within or near it. This has underscored the pressing need to address issues related to securing steadfast allies in Eastern Europe and enhancing cooperation with them. This article aims to explore the current evolution of German-Lithuanian re­lations in both political and military domains. The approach of Germany to the factor of historical memory is demonstrated, along with its aspiration to position itself as the defender of Lithuanian national sovereignty. Yet, there was a notable lack of strategic focus from Germany towards Lithuania in the early 21st century, contributing to a decline in bilateral relations in 2014 and 2015. Amid the confrontation between the ‘Western democracies’ and Russia, Germany adopted a strategy of gradually but steadily increasing pressure on the opponent. The perception of this approach by Lithuanian elites has shifted from negative in the mid-2010s to increasingly positive as Germany has become more involved in deterrence of Russia. This article explores the process of the Bundeswehr troops’ deployment and buildup up to having constituted the ‘core’ of a multinational brigade in Lithuania under NATO’s mandate. The study focuses on the im­pact of military cooperation on political collaborations, as illustrated by the case of the B3 + 1 format, which has brought together high-ranking public officials from the three Baltic states and Germany since 2018. It is concluded that Germany has developed a dependence on Lithuania, driven by the increased desire of the former state to maintain the latter as a reliable junior partner

Economics · Economy · Political science · Politics · European and Russian Geopolitical Military Strategies · European Politics and Security · Law · Security, Politics, and Digital Transformation

• Germany’s approach to security and defence cooperation with Poland by the mid-2020s

  Open Access•Philipp O Trunov•Baltic Region•2025

  Añadir item

• Italy in the Rome – Paris – Berlin Triangle

  Open Access•Elena Aleksandrovna Maslova, Елена Маслова et al.•Contemporary Europe•2023

  Añadir item

• The Baltic policy of Germany and current international relations

  Open Access•Alexey Salikov, Ilya N Tarasov et al.•Baltic Region•2016

  Añadir item

• Polish Question’ in Lithuania and Problems of Polish-Lithuanian Relations at the Turn of the Century

  Open Access•Vadim I Musaev•Baltic Region•2022

  Añadir item

• Geopolitical and Geo-economic Changes in the Baltic Sea Region at the Turn of the XX—XXI centuries

  Open Access•Gennady V Kretinin, Alexander P Katrovskiy et al.•Baltic Region•2016

  Añadir item

• German Participation in the Three Seas Initiative

  Open Access•M Khorolskaya•Baltic Region•2022

  Añadir item

• The Republic of Belarus and the Kaliningrad region of Russia as a sub-regional security complex

  Open Access•Yu M Zverev, Н М Межевич•Baltic Region•2022

  Añadir item

• The Baltic Sea region and increasing international tension

  Open Access•Konstantin Khudoley•Baltic Region•2016

  Añadir item

• The military and political situation in the Baltic region in the late 20th/early 21st centuries

  Open Access•Vladimir Kiknadze, Denis A Mironyuk et al.•Baltic Region•2019

  Añadir item

• Germany, Russia and the Rise of Geo-Economics

  Stephen F Szabo•Germany, Russia, and the Rise of…•2015

  Añadir item