Lithuania is seeking about 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) to develop critical military transport infrastructure as part of a broader 4-billion-euro ($4.7 billion) mobility project.
The country expects most of the financing to come from the European Union and NATO mechanisms, Lithuanian news outlet LRT quoted Deputy Defense Minister Karolis Aleksa as saying, noting that the state budget is currently focused on building an army division.
Aleksa acknowledged that competition for funding would be tough, adding that Vilnius could contribute “a few hundred million euros” to the effort.
However, “without that funding, it would be very difficult to carry them out using national resources alone,” he added.
NATO Eastern Flank
As part of NATO’s eastern flank, Lithuania shares a 297-kilometer (185-mile) land border with Russia’s southwestern exclave, the Kaliningrad Oblast, as well as a border with Moscow’s ally, Belarus.
With the war between Russia and Ukraine dragging on since February 2022, Vilnius — which has supported Kyiv — is seen as a potential target of Moscow’s aggression.
The deputy defense minister noted that the country is “fighting on many fronts, and military mobility is one of them.”
Meanwhile, the 1-billion-euro budget is eyed as the minimum budget that can cover priority projects, including reinforcement routes linked to the Suwałki corridor, the high-speed Rail Baltica line, and expanded access via Klaipėda seaport and key airports.
The Suwałki Corridor — the narrow land link between Poland and Lithuania bordered by Kaliningrad and Belarus — and the Rail Baltica project both serve as critical connections between the Baltic states and the rest of Europe.
Securing these links would allow rapid military deployment and civilian evacuation in the event of conflict, said Transport Minister Juras Taminskas.
