Lithuania's president causes irritation with Bundeswehr comparison

Lithuania's President Gitanas Nauseda has caused a stir with statements in which he equated his country's obligations to the Bundeswehr stationed in the Baltic state with a relationship between a man and a woman. "As is well known, the German army is not a girl you can invite to a good night by the lake in the open air. This is a serious army that needs to be offered a marriage contract, and that marriage contract must state Lithuania's obligations very clearly," Nauseda said in an interview published Wednesday.

The background to his statements was a debate in Lithuania as to the extent to which Germany and its ally on NATO's eastern flank had agreed to station a brigade in the country. Nauseda said it was in Lithuania's interest to have a brigade stationed, and then made the much publicly criticized comparison. The statement drew accusations of sexism and demands for an apology, as well as jokes on social media.

The President's Office in Vilnius rejected the criticism: "Everyone sees in the President's text what they really want to see. The president said that Lithuania must fulfill all its obligations as soon as possible in order to take on the German brigade.” The Lithuanian media quoted a statement as saying that shifting the discussion to the area of ​​linguistics was only an attempt to distract from the unpleasant topic .

After the Russian attack on Ukraine, NATO decided to increase protection of the eastern flank. Germany is to lead a combat troops brigade with 3,000 to 5,000 soldiers for Lithuania. Chancellor Olaf Scholz promised this during a visit to Vilnius in June and recorded it in a joint communiqué with Nauseda, which was interpreted differently in some cases. Moreover, due to a lack of infrastructure, Lithuania cannot yet accommodate a brigade.

The German concept for the brigade provides that weapons and ammunition should be kept on site. However, the majority of the soldiers are kept ready in Germany - and can be quickly relocated in the event of tension. Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said on a visit to Lithuania on Saturday that the brigade should be operational within ten days. Individual parts of the unit should also come to Lithuania regularly to practice with soldiers from the alliance partner.

Several Lithuanian politicians expressed disappointment with Lambrecht's announcement. "That's not the agreement we have," said Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis.