Horizon ČT24: German base in Lithuania (source: ČT24)
German soldiers are preparing for permanent deployment abroad for the first time since the end of World War II. This week, the construction of a large base in Lithuania began, which is to accommodate up to four thousand members of the Bundeswehr within three years. At the same time, increasingly lively debates are taking place in Berlin whether Germany will continue to provide aid to the struggling Ukraine from the federal budget, or whether it will use other sources.
The establishment of a new German military base in the Baltics is one of the side effects of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It will be located in Rūdninkai, Lithuania, a village from which it is only less than thirty kilometers from the metropolis of Vilnius – on the border with Belarus it is even less. Thanks to this, it has a location that underlines the strategic importance of the Lithuanian-German company.
“This is not just a show off, a show of force, or just talk about big buildings and military vehicles. This is a very serious planning of what we need to really deter a potential adversary,” said Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė.
Heavy construction equipment has already begun to draw the first contours in the sandy terrain. It is a milestone that underlines a historical change.
“It is one of the most important efforts that the German armed forces are currently undertaking,” said Nils Hilmer, State Secretary of the German Defense Ministry. According to him, this is a new era of strengthening, deterrence and defense on NATO’s eastern flank.
German aid to Ukraine
But the declared determination does not quite match the news that Berlin is considering limiting financial support for Ukraine. At the weekend, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, citing government sources, reported that the cabinet of Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz will try to reduce the state budget deficit at the expense of aid to Kyiv.
“The chancellor’s word is still valid that support for Ukraine will continue as long as necessary, and that no one, least of all the Russian president, can hope that we will let up,” declared government spokesman Wolfgang Büchner.
In 2024, Germany allocated almost 7.5 billion euros (188 billion crowns) for military aid to Ukraine. In the next year, he expects four billion (over one hundred billion crowns). This amount can be increased by the Bundestag. In addition, Berlin expects to supply Kyiv in the future with the interest from frozen Russian assets as well.
The political situation in Germany
The strongest opposition party CDU/CSU agrees with the government on support for Ukraine, which opinion polls predict will win the next general election in September 2025, Robert Schuster, head of the foreign news department of the Lidovky.cz server, pointed out. Therefore, according to him, Germany will support the attacked country in the next election period as well.
According to him, another opposition party, Alternative for Germany, focuses primarily on the issue of migration, and the position on the Russian-Ukrainian war is secondary to it.
Schuster also mentioned the formation of Sára Wagenknecht’s Alliance, which built its establishment and its activity in the public space around opposition to the war. “She organized several large demonstrations in German cities, where several thousand people came. It is the main party that belongs to, let’s say, the peace or pro-Russian camp,” the journalist added. According to him, Sára Wagenknecht’s alliance can play an important role in the upcoming state elections in Saxony and Thuringia.
“The support of the German public remains stable, more than fifty percent of Germans support Ukraine and see Russia as the clear aggressor,” Schuster said.
