NATO has turned Vilnius into a fortified fortress with advanced weapons to protect US President Joe Biden and other alliance leaders who will meet next week just 20 miles from a barbed-wire fence on Lithuania’s border with Russia’s ally Belarus, Reuters reported.

Sixteen NATO member states have sent a total of 1,000 troops to protect the July 11-12 summit, which will take place just 151 km from Russia. Many of them also provide advanced air defense systems that are not available in the Baltic states.

“It would be more than irresponsible for our skies to remain unprotected while Biden and the leaders of 40 countries arrive here,” Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said, as quoted by news.ro.

The Baltic states – Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia – once dominated by Moscow but members of NATO and the European Union since 2004, all spend more than 2% of GDP on defense, a higher share than most other NATO allies. But for a region with a total population of about 6 million, this amount is not enough to maintain large armies, invest in its own fighter jets or advanced air defense.

Germany has deployed 12 Patriot launchers, which are used to intercept ballistic and cruise missiles or fighter jets.

Spain has brought the NASAMS air defense system, France is sending Caesar self-propelled howitzers, France, Finland and Denmark are sending warplanes to Lithuania, and the UK and France are providing anti-drone equipment.

Poland and Germany sent special operations forces equipped with helicopters.

Other allies are sending equipment to counter any potential chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear attacks.

Lithuania wants permanent air defense in the Baltic states

For President Nauseda, the Allies’ efforts to ensure air security during the leaders’ meeting means that NATO must urgently establish permanent air defenses in the Baltic states.

“We are thinking about what happens after the summit is over, and we will work with allies to create a rotating force for permanent air protection,” he told reporters.

In villages near the border with Belarus, local residents told Reuters they felt completely safe, despite an offer by a Russian ally to host Russia’s private armed group Wagner and the fact that Russian nuclear weapons are stationed there.

“Do you think Wagner or Belarus can attack Lithuania, which is in NATO? They have no courage. NATO is NATO, and we feel safe because we are in NATO. Why are we afraid of those Belarusians?” said Edward Rinkun, 67, from the village of Kanyukai, 1 km from Belarus.

“If Lithuania was alone, I would feel differently,” he added. “If it weren’t for joining NATO, it could be the same as in Ukraine,” says Olena Tarasevich, 55, Rynkun’s neighbor. .

Eight German Patriot missile launchers can be seen at the Vilnius airport already deployed, their nozzles pointed towards the Russian city of Kaliningrad. The other two were on their way to Belarus. As of Friday morning, all launchers were operational. “You know where you are geographically, and you know pretty well where the threat is coming from,” said Lt. Col. Steffen Lieb, commander of the Patriot unit. “Lithuania asked us to protect the summit, and NATO also asked for Germany’s help. This is our answer,” he added.

Deployment of forces at the border

This summer, Lithuania tripled the number of border police on its borders with Belarus and Russia, supplemented by agents from Latvia and Poland. The two countries also sent police officers to help patrol the city of Vilnius.

“We are preparing for various challenges,” said the head of the border police, Rustamas Lyubaevas, and added that he fears waves of migrants at the border or violation of the border or the appearance of military equipment at the border without explaining the reasons.

Thousands of migrants from the Middle East crossed the border into Belarus in 2021 in an attempt that Lithuania and the European Union say was orchestrated by Minsk, a charge Minsk denies. Since then, their number has decreased.

The center of Vilnius, closed

“The situation is really tense because of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. So (border security) was already at a very, very high level (before the summit),” Lyubayevas said.

During the summit, controls were re-introduced on Lithuania’s borders with Poland and Latvia, which are members of the European Union.

The mayor of Vilnius suggested that citizens go on holiday outside the city limits if they want to avoid disruption, as a large part of the center of Vilnius will be closed during the summit.