Lithuania should sign bilateral defence agreements with Poland and Germany to strengthen its security, Saulius Skvernelis, the leader of the opposition Democrats "For Lithuania", has said after Poland shot down several drones that violated its airspace this week.
“We need to talk about bilateral defence agreements with both Poland and Germany – as the latter’s brigade is being stationed here – so that in such cases we can also use the capabilities of our neighbours, since we probably won’t have fighter jets ourselves,” Skvernelis told the Žinių Radijas news rdio on Friday.
The former parliamentary speaker added that he had discussed the issue with senior Lithuanian officials, including the foreign minister, several months ago.
Poland reported that a number of drones crossed into its airspace during Russian attacks on Ukraine in the early hours of Wednesday. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said 19 violations had been recorded overnight, with three drones shot down.
Skvernelis underlined that protecting civilian lives had to be the overriding priority.
"The main goal of the Polish army and our army is to protect people's lives and health, regardless of how much it costs to shoot down a drone. If it is shot down, the cost will be irrelevant. If it fell on a residential building, hitting an apartment block, the damage would be immeasurable; human lives cannot be measured in monetary terms," Skvernelis underlined.
"Of course, the Polish army has greater capabilities, allies also helped them, and I think we should also expect a similarly adequate response," he said.
In a foreign policy memorandum published this week, the opposition Homeland Union–Lithuanian Christian Democrats also called on the government to conclude a defence pact with Poland, modelled on the agreement signed by President Emmanuel Macron and Tusk in May.
That deal commits France and Poland to providing mutual assistance, including military support, in the event of armed aggression. Both leaders stressed it was intended to complement NATO, not replace it.
Lithuanian presidential adviser Deividas Matulionis has previously argued that similar bilateral arrangements are unnecessary, warning they could raise doubts about the strength of NATO commitments.
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