Friedrich Merz Warns Russia Threatens Baltic Security Ahead of NATO Summit in Ankara

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz met Baltic leaders in Berlin days before the NATO summit in Ankara, warning that the Russian threat on NATO’s eastern flank is “very concrete” and “you can feel it with your hands.”

“The Bundeswehr is launching one of its most ambitious projects: the deployment of nearly 5,000 German soldiers to Lithuania and around 200 civilian personnel, Deutsche Welle reports”

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Merz said Russia “constantly violates the airspace of NATO countries” and carries out “hybrid attacks on the Internet,” while also destroying submarine cables in the Baltic Sea, as he pressed for stronger deterrence and aid for Ukraine.

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The German government’s plan for a permanent presence in Lithuania centers on the 45th Armoured Brigade, with Germany’s objective described as permanently stationing 4,800 soldiers, its largest external deployment since World War II.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said the brigade would be “a significant reinforcement of our defense posture,” and he linked the move to strengthening nuclear deterrence led by the United States within NATO.

Estonia’s Prime Minister Kristen Michal said alliance members must understand that “the security of the Baltic region is NATO's security,” as she argued that NATO’s frontline defense should be reinforced on the eastern flank.

While Merz pressed for deterrence, he also urged Russia to negotiate a ceasefire along the current front line, telling reporters that Russia “cannot win the war against Ukraine” and “must begin negotiations on a ceasefire along the current front line.”

In a Berlin meeting described as leaving Baltic leaders united, Merz said “Together we are sending Russia a clear signal: Russia cannot win this war,” and he added that “Moscow must sit down at the negotiating table to agree on a ceasefire along the front line as it stands today.”

deutschland.de

Ukrinform, as cited by UA.NEWS, also reported that Merz accused Moscow of violating the airspace of Alliance member states, carrying out hybrid cyberattacks, and conducting sabotage against undersea infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.

The same reporting tied the pressure on Moscow to NATO security, saying Merz emphasized that Russia remains a direct threat to NATO countries and that the Baltic states were among the first to recognize the scale of that threat.

RFI’s interview with Major General Ivan Martin, head of the Anticipation, Strategy, Orientation cell at the General Staff, framed the risk as practical rather than theoretical, saying the potential threat “is not theoretical at all; it is very practical.”

At the NATO summit in Ankara, leaders said discussions would include increasing defense spending and concrete plans to achieve it, with Merz and Baltic counterparts also emphasizing that deterrence depends on turning commitments into capabilities.

“The chancellor receives his counterparts from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania days before the Alliance summit in Ankara”

El País

El País reported that the U.S. President Donald Trump called Germany’s contribution to NATO “ridiculous,” and it said Germany’s spending would reach 3.5% of its GDP by 2029, which Merz defended by saying “This is the greatest effort we have ever made to reinforce our defense capability.”

Rinkēvičs warned that if the Alliance failed to meet its targets, Baltic states could “have to pay more” in the event of a Russian attack, while also arguing that deterrence is urgently needed.

Euronews quoted Merz saying “The security of the Baltic states is also Germany's security,” and it linked that message to a plaque on Vilnius Town Hall reading “The security of Lithuania is our security. The defence of Vilnius is the defence of Berlin.”

In parallel, RFI’s Major General Ivan Martin said that “The day we see a ceasefire in Ukraine… anything becomes possible,” and he argued that the Baltics must prepare for contingencies in all dimensions, including hybrid threats in cyber and information domains.