Air defense is the NATO alliance's "biggest gap" in its deepening standoff with Russia, one national defense minister has warned, as the bloc tries to source more systems and ammunition to support Ukraine in its existential conflict with Moscow.
Speaking at a Hudson Institute event in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, 30 April, Lithuanian Defense Minister Laurynas Kasciunas told attendees that NATO allies must "reshape" their thinking when considering a possible future war with Russia.
"We are investing now in air defenses, because it's the biggest gap," Kasciunas said. "Air defense is the biggest gap also in the NATO area."
Ukraine has been pushing its Western partners for more air defense systems as it suffers regular Russian missile and drone bombardment, targeting critical infrastructure and civilian centers nationwide. Ukrainian troops all along the front, meanwhile, have been subject to an uptick in airstrikes by Russian aircraft using long-range glide bombs.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said his country needs at least seven more U.S.-made Patriot surface-to-air missile systems or equivalent systems.
"This year, Russian jets already used more than 9,000 guided aerial bombs against Ukraine and we need the ability to shoot down the air combat aircraft so that they do not approach our positions and borders," Zelensky said last week.
Nations have proven hesitant to give up their air defense batteries. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said he had identified 100 Patriot systems worldwide, though NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the number in Europe is "significantly" fewer than that.
Lithuania and nine other NATO allies—led by Germany—agreed last year to begin work on the European Sky Shield Initiative, which aims to strengthen European air and missile defense via joint acquisition. But Ukraine is trying to bolster its air defense umbrella while under fire.
"The reality is not optimistic," Kasciunas said on Tuesday, recalling his recent visit to Ukraine shortly after being appointed to lead his nation's Defense Ministry in March.
"If you give them everything that they need, they can win," he added.
"The Ukrainians are not asking for troops. They are asking for good weapons and ammunition," Kasciunas said.
Lithuania—along with its Baltic neighbors—has been at the forefront of a bloc within NATO and the European Union (EU) pushing for ever-more stringent measures against Russia and in support of Ukraine. Sitting along Russia's frontiers, Baltic leaders feel they will be the next targets if Ukraine falls.
Vilnius' direct bilateral aid to Ukraine is equivalent to around 1.5 percent of its GDP, putting the country among Kyiv's most generous backers. Among the military hardware it has provided are anti-aircraft guns, artillery munitions and armored personnel carriers. Lithuania is also training thousands of Ukrainian troops each year.
Support has come from the state and grassroots level, with Lithuanians raising tens of millions to purchase equipment, including combat drones, for the Ukrainian military.
Leaders in Vilnius have been pushing allies to ease Kyiv's path to EU and NATO membership, while Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis has expressed his backing for discussions on the proposed deployment of NATO forces inside Ukraine in noncombat roles.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte have said they would back Kyiv's efforts to repatriate Ukrainian men of military age living abroad, as the country seeks to bolster its manpower in the face of Russia's onslaught.
Should Russia move against the Baltic states any plan of attack is expected to center on a 60-mile corridor known as the Suwalki Gap. The stretch of land runs along the Lithuanian-Polish frontier between Belarus and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. If Russian and Belarusian forces are able to occupy the corridor, they could cut off land access between the three Baltic states and the rest of NATO.
Suspected Russian hybrid warfare efforts are ongoing. The Baltic states have been a focus for GPS jamming and spoofing efforts attributed to Moscow's units based in Kaliningrad and close to St. Petersburg, as well as groups of migrants encouraged by Minsk and Moscow in their attempts to cross NATO and EU borders.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
David Brennan is Newsweek's Diplomatic Correspondent covering world politics and conflicts from London with a focus on NATO, the European ... Read more
