Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Šakaliene announced yesterday that her country has officially withdrawn from the international convention banning cluster munitions due to Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine, DPA and Agence France-Presse reported, BTA reports.
Also yesterday, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda described proposals by his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron for a “nuclear umbrella“ over Europe as a “very interesting idea”, saying that it could serve as a solid means of deterring Russia, Reuters reported.
“I think this is a very interesting idea. "A nuclear umbrella would serve as a very serious deterrent for Russia," Nauseda said in the Belgian capital Brussels on Wednesday, ahead of an emergency EU summit on Ukraine.
The two statements by senior Lithuanian officials come just days after Lithuania announced a 20 million euro investment in Ukraine's defense industry on Saturday.
Withdrawal from Oslo Convention Banning Cluster Munitions Draws Criticism from Human Rights Organizations
Lithuania's final withdrawal from the international Oslo Convention Banning Cluster Munitions, announced yesterday, has drawn criticism from human rights organizations, Agence France-Presse reported. The agency notes that according to Sakaliene, Lithuania wants to strengthen its defense, fearing that it could be the next target of Russian military aggression after Ukraine.
She told Lithuanian radio station “Jiniu“ that the decision was a “strategic message“. “We must be ready to use absolutely everything“, the defense minister said in relation to the country's military capabilities, quoted by DPA and AFP.
Human rights organizations condemned Lithuania's withdrawal from the Oslo Convention, saying that it could put the lives of civilians at risk, Agence France-Presse reported.
“Amnesty International“ called the decision “catastrophic“, “Human Rights Watch“ said it was "alarming", and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) warned that it was "weakening vital civilian protection", AFP noted.
"Lithuania's withdrawal (from this convention – ed. note) is unprecedented, considering that no country has ever withdrawn from an international agreement," the ICRC said in a statement.
The Lithuanian parliament (Seimas) voted in favor of withdrawing from the cluster munitions ban treaty in July last year, but the country had to wait six months after submitting the necessary documents to the UN for the decision to come into force, AFP specified.
Agence France-Presse draws attention to the fact that this country, which is a member of both the EU and NATO, is the first country to leave the convention adopted in 2008 (The Baltic state joined at the time), as well as the first European Union country to end its participation in a multilateral international arms treaty.
“Russia is using all available conventional military means and this shows that we must take appropriate action for effective deterrence and for the defense of the country“, Lithuania's Deputy Defense Minister Karolis Aleksa told AFP this week.
“Withdrawing from the convention allows us to increase the effectiveness of our defense against weapons of mass destruction“, he said.
Cluster munitions can be dropped from an aircraft or fired from both an artillery gun and a missile system, with the carrier (bomb, shell or rocket) opening up during its flight and dispersing the small explosives collected in it over a wide area, which explode when strike.
Their use is controversial, mainly because a significant part of them fail to explode and remain lying on the ground, posing a threat to the lives of ordinary citizens, at whose feet they can explode, DPA notes.
The Lithuanian government, however, is of the opinion that cluster munitions are a highly effective defensive tool, and points to the fact that, with the exception of Norway (where the agreement to ban cluster munitions was concluded), no other country bordering Russia has signed the convention, the agency adds.
Russia and Ukraine are not parties to the convention, and both countries have been using cluster bombs in the conflict that has been going on for over three years.
Lithuania considers Russia's war in Ukraine a direct threat to its national security, DPA recalls.
"The most effective way to deter and protect is when you have the appropriate weapons (the kind the enemy uses) and know how to use them," says Alexa.
Lithuania borders the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad and Belarus, which is an ally of Russia.
The convention, signed by 112 countries and 12 organizations, prohibits the use, transfer from one country to another, production and stockpiling of cluster munitions, AFP explains.
Ukrainian weapons to be produced in Lithuania
Shakaliene told the Lithuanian newspaper at the end of last year. "Verslo Zhinios“ that Lithuania is participating in consultations on the acquisition of cluster munitions, which it intends to purchase not only for itself but also for Ukraine.
The Lithuanian Defense Ministry announced on Saturday that the country has invested 20 million euros in Ukraine's defense industry and aims to produce strategic weapons jointly with Kiev. The statement on the ministry's website, distributed by the Lithuanian Radio and Television (LRT.lt), was quoted by Ukrinform.
"The Ukrainian defense industry has incredible potential to become a global player due to its high level of competence acquired on the basis of direct experience on the battlefield, the motivation and qualifications of engineers, and the forward-thinking of people in key decision-making positions in the industry", said Šakaliene.
She stressed that Lithuania will continue to invest in Ukraine's defense sector by purchasing weapons from Ukrainian manufacturers.
"Lithuania will continue to invest in the Ukrainian defense industry beyond the already allocated 20 million euros for high-end weapons. However, we will be happy to further develop our cooperation in joint Lithuanian-Ukrainian production both in Ukraine and Lithuania,“ she added, quoted by Ukrinform.
Shakaliene also commented on the partnership on her personal social media profiles.
“The Ukrainian defense industry will develop in Lithuania,“ she wrote on “Ex“, “Instagram“ and “Facebook“.
“The strategic agreement reached during the meeting between Presidents Gitanas Nauseda and Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev on the development of the Ukrainian defense industry in Lithuania is already being implemented,“ she noted.
The minister announced that at her meeting with the Senior Advisor on Strategic Affairs of the Ukrainian President – Oleksandr Kamyshin, and the Minister of Strategic Industries of Ukraine – Herman Smetanin, a preliminary agreement has been reached on the production of strategic weapons in Lithuania in cooperation with Ukraine.
"For security reasons, the specific types of weapons included in the agreement cannot yet be disclosed, but in the near future we will have joint meetings in Lithuania, where we will discuss the details of the implementation of the deal", explained Šakalienė.
Strengthening ties with Washington with a six-day visit to the US
A day after the announced investment of 20 million euros in the Ukrainian defense industry, agreed at a meeting in Kiev, Dovile Šakalienė left for a visit to the US, which ends today.
"We can help Ukraine only if we are strong and well-armed", the minister said on this occasion, as quoted on her ministry's website.
The program of her six-day visit included meetings with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, with the commander of the Pennsylvania State Guard – Major General John Pippi, and with the Secretary of the US Army in the first administration of Donald Trump – Ryan McCarthy.
The Lithuanian Ministry of Defense notes that the Pennsylvania State Guard has been supporting the Lithuanian Armed Forces for three decades.
"The situation is tense, so we need to work harder than ever. We can effectively support Ukraine only if we make investments relevant to the defense of the whole of Europe, if we develop our defense industry as a strategic sector and use the green corridor. If we really want to help Ukraine, we need to do this homework at an unprecedented pace,” Shakaliene stressed.
"We are focusing on bilateral meetings with US defense industry companies. We want to attract partners to build factories for modern military equipment in Lithuania," the minister said.
She had planned meetings with representatives of the largest US defense industry companies, including "Lockheed Martin" and "Northrop Grumman".
Over the past three years - the period of the Russian war in Ukraine - Lithuania has acquired weapons worth approximately 2 billion euros from the United States, thus becoming the largest buyer of American military products among the Baltic states, the Lithuanian Defense Ministry said.
Orders from the US account for nearly 20% of all Lithuanian defense industry purchases.
They include Javelin anti-tank missile systems, Black Hawk helicopters, HIMARS high-altitude artillery rocket system, AMRAAM missiles for the NASAMS medium-range air defense system, and Switchblade drones.
The US has been systematically supporting Lithuania's efforts to develop military capabilities and has deployed battalions for permanent presence in the Baltic state since 2019, the Lithuanian Defense Ministry said, adding that in 2022 the Pentagon also sent an artillery unit on a mission to Lithuania. “The presence of US forces in Lithuania is of strategic importance for deterrence readiness and is a guarantee of the security of all Baltic states“, the department summarizes.