BERLIN (Sputnik) — According to Der Spiegel, the German armed forces are likely to send some 1,000 soldiers to take part in the NATO mission in Lithuania should the alliance's members approve the move at the upcoming summit in Warsaw.
The initiative was announced by German Chancellor Angela Merkel during the so-called G5 summit of German, US, UK, French and Italian leaders in Hanover, the media outlet reported.
In mid-March, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius said his country hoped that Germany would actively support the need to increase NATO's military presence in the Baltic States.
The military bloc is due to meet in Warsaw in July, where the 28 member states are expected to lay down a roadmap for the military buildup in the east, including the exact number of troops to be deployed there amid what NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has described as a challenging regional security situation.
