Key events
Merz acknowledges ‘exceptionally difficult’ circumstances in Baltics
Responding, German chancellor Friedrich Merz says that the two countries are partners “not only in words, but also in deeds,” as he highlights their bilateral relationship, but also through the EU and Nato.
He acknowledges “exceptionally difficult circumstances” and “very tense” situation in the Baltics in the face of Russia’s “aggressive revisionism” posing a challenge to Europe’s security as he says the decision to station a brigade in Lithuania was made to counter that threat.
He says Germany remains “determined to defend the alliance’s territory against all aggression” and reassures Lithuanians “they can rely on Germany.”
Merz also ventures into broader policy debates on defence, praising the EU’s white paper on rearming the continent as he says the bloc “must produce more for Europe and in Europe,” as he hails new Rheinmetall investment in Lithuania.
He lists his four key messages:
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Insists allies must not allow Russia to “drive a wedge between us” and remain closely aligned, including with the US “whenever possible”
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Says allies must continue to call for a ceasefire in Ukraine,
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Argues allies have to continue exerting pressure on Moscow,
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Thanks Lithuania for its work on securing the EU’s external border against irregular migration.
German deployment shows ‘clear, strong’ commitment to eastern flank, Lithuanian president says
In his opening comments, Lithuanian president Gitanas Nausėda thanks Merz for his visit and says it shows “a clear and strong commitment” from Germany to help deter Russia from Lithuania and Nato’s eastern flank more broadly.
He hails the inauguration of the German military unit in Lithuania as “a day of responsibility and action,” building up on previous temporary deployment of German troops in the country.
He says that building up to the Nato summit in The Hague, “our message must be clear: we are united, ready and determined” as he says Lithuania will meet 5% GDP target on defence spending next year.
Nausėda also mentions Ukraine, reiterating calls for “a comprehensive and unconditional ceasefire,” and urging partners to adopt sanctions to “break the Russian war machine.”
As we wait for Germany’s Merz and Lithuania’s Nausėda to start their press conference, let me bring you another update on growing European concerns about Russia.
Russia tried to hack into border security cameras to spy on and disrupt the flow of western aid entering Ukraine, the UK’s intelligence services and its allies have claimed.
A unit of Russia’s military intelligence services is accused of using a host of methods to target organisations delivering “foreign assistance”, by hacking into cameras at crossings and railway stations and near military installations.
GRU Unit 26165 is also accused of sending phishing emails containing pornography and fake professional information and obtaining stolen account passwords to get into systems.
It was claimed the unit – also known as APT 28 and Fancy Bear – has conducted the malicious cyber-campaign against public and private organisations in Nato states since 2022.
In its advisory note, the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) – part of GCHQ – called on private companies involved in the delivery of aid to “take immediate action to protect themselves”.
About 10,000 cameras were said to have been accessed near “military installations, and rail stations, to track the movement of materials into Ukraine”, of which 80% were in Ukraine and 10% in Romania.
It is claimed 4% of the cameras targeted were in Poland, 2.8% in Hungary and 1.7% in Slovakia. The locations of the remaining cameras targeted were not provided. The hacking would have provided access to a “snapshot” of the cameras’ images, it is said.
Germany’s Merz arrives in Vilnius for inauguration of German brigade
German chancellor Friedrich Merz has just arrived at the Presidential Palace in Vilnius, where he is received by the country’s president Gitanas Nausėda ahead of the formal inauguration of the German 45th Armored Brigade “Lietuva”.
The pair will speak at a press conference over the next hour, and I will bring you the key lines.
Finland ‘preparing for the worst’ as Russia expands military presence near border
Miranda Bryant
Lithuania is not the only country concerned by Russia’s increasingly assertive posture.
Finland has said it expects Russia to further build up troops along their shared border when the war in Ukraine ends, after reports that Moscow had strengthened its military bases near the Nato frontier.
Maj Gen Sami Nurmi, the head of strategy of the Finnish defence forces, said the military is following Moscow’s manoeuvring “very closely” and that it was their job, as part of the Nato alliance, to “prepare for the worst”.
The Finnish border guard announced on Wednesday it had completed the first 35km (22 miles) of a planned 200km fence on its eastern border with Russia, which has been closed for more than a year after Helsinki accused Moscow of directing asylum seekers to Finland in a “hybrid operation”. The fence also uses cameras and sensors to distinguish between people and animals crossing.
Satellite images, published in the New York Times, appear to show an expansion of military infrastructure near the Finnish border, including rows of tents, military vehicles, renovations to fighter jet shelters and construction on a previously unused helicopter base.
Nurmi said: “They are changing structures and we are seeing moderate preparations when it comes to building infrastructure close to our borders, meaning that they will, once the war in Ukraine hopefully ends, start to bring back the forces that have been fighting in Ukraine, especially land forces.”
While this was not unexpected since Finland joined Nato at record speed in 2023 after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Nurmi said they were following the preparations “very closely”.
“They are doing it in phases. I would say it is still moderate numbers. It’s not big construction, but in certain places building new infrastructure and preparing, bringing new equipment in,” he said.
“You also have to evaluate whether they are preparing to send more troops to Ukraine or preparing to build up their forces close to our border.
But I guess they are doing both.”
Romania’s top court rejects Simion’s election challenge
Romania’s Constitutional Court has rejected the defeated ultranationalist candidate’s request to annul the presidential vote as a result of foreign interference.
Despite conceding the defeat on Sunday night, George Simion later filed his challenge in a bid to overturn the result which saw him lose to liberal Bucharest mayor Nicuşor Dan.
“Just as Călin Georgescu was removed and the elections were annulled [last year], we will challenge the election of Nicușor Dan for exactly the same reasons,” George Simion, an EU-critical, Trump-admiring former soccer ultra, said in a statement to local media.
He repeatedly alleged electoral fraud without providing evidence.
But the court has now unanimously rejected the request, saying in a brief statement that the challenge was unfounded.
Morning opening: Germany boosts Nato’s eastern flank
Jakub Krupa
German chancellor Friedrich Merz visits Lithuania today to mark the official formation of Germany’s first permanent overseas military unit since the second world war, which is intended to boost Europe’s defences against Russia on the eastern flank of Nato.
The armoured brigade aims to achieve full operational capability with 5,000 personnel by 2027, up from 400 at the moment.
The deployment marks a major milestone in Germany’s thinking on defence and security, and is unprecedented in the postwar era.
But it reflects growing concerns in this part of the world about Russia’s increasingly assertive posture – with no signs it has any intention to end its invasion of Ukraine – and some lingering doubts over Donald Trump’s US and its readiness to support allies in this part of the world.
Merz has repeatedly promised to spend more on the modernisation of the Bundeswehr, responding to worries about personnel and equipment shortages.
As he starts translating words into actions, this looks like a strong message from Berlin – and one coming just weeks before Nato’s summit in The Hague, the Netherlands next month.
We will hear from Merz, joined on the trip by defence minister Boris Pistorius, and Lithuanian president Gitanas Nausėda at some point this morning.
I will bring you all key updates from across Europe throughout the day.
It’s Thursday, 22 May 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
