BRUSSELS: NATO voiced firm support for Lithuania Tuesday over what Vilnius condemned as a “hybrid attack” on its airspace by Russia’s ally Belarus, involving balloons filled with contraband cigarettes.
The alliance’s Secretary General Mark Rutte said he had spoken with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda about the incident, in which dozens of balloons forced the temporary closure of two airports last week.
“NATO stands firmly with Lithuania — including through the air policing currently provided by Spain and Hungary as well as the NATO forces led by Germany,” Rutte wrote on X.
Lithuania, a NATO and European Union member, also shut its last two border crossings with neighboring Belarus over the incident.
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen called the balloon incident “a hybrid threat” and said the European Union supported Lithuania.
“This is destabilization. This is provocation,” she said on X, adding that Europe should speed up measures to defend its eastern flank.
The Lithuanian army has now been authorized to shoot down such balloons, Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene told journalists on Monday.
She said Belarus’s lack of action to detain those responsible for the balloons led her to believe the authorities were involved.
Black-market tobacco is a revenue source for Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s government, according to the country’s opposition.
Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov rejected Lithuania’s accusations, calling them a “provocation” aimed at justifying “measures against Belarus (and) against Russia.”
NATO stands with Lithuania over balloon incursion: Rutte
https://arab.news/n9jjq
NATO stands with Lithuania over balloon incursion: Rutte
- Dozens of balloons forced the temporary closure of two airports in Lithuania last week
- Authorities shut its last two border crossings with neighboring Belarus over the incident
Britain needs to step up defense spending faster, says Starmer
- Britain’s budget watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility, said last year that raising defense spending to 3 percent of the GDP would cost an additional £17.3 billion a year ($24 billion) in 2029-30
LONDON: Britain should step up and accelerate its defense spending, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday, following a report that the government was considering bringing forward its target to spend 3 percent of economic output on defense.
Britain, which has warned of the risks posed by Russia, said in February 2025 that it would lift annual defense spending to 2.5 percent of the GDP by 2027 and aim for 3 percent in the next Parliament, which is expected to begin after an election due in 2029.
The BBC reported that the government was now exploring ways to reach the 3 percent target by 2029. It said no decision had been taken but the government recognized current plans would not cover rising defense costs.
HIGHLIGHT
The BBC reported that the government is now exploring ways to reach the 3 percent target by 2029.
Asked whether he would bring the target forward to 2029, Starmer echoed comments he made at the Munich Security Conference, where he said Europe had united to support Ukraine with the supply of weapons and munitions and to strengthen military readiness.
“We need to step up. That means on defense spending, we need to go faster,” Starmer told reporters on Monday. “We’ve obviously made commitments already in relation to that, but it goes beyond just how much you spend.”
Latest NATO estimates show that Britain spent 2.3 percent of the GDP on defense in 2024, above the alliance’s 2 percent guideline. But like other European countries, it has faced US pressure to spend more to protect the continent. Struggling with high debt and spending commitments, the government last year cut its international aid budget to fund the hike in defense spending to 2.5 percent of GDP but is yet to publish an investment plan with spending priorities, something that has frustrated the defense industry.
Britain’s budget watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility, said last year that raising defense spending to 3 percent of the GDP would cost an additional £17.3 billion a year ($24 billion) in 2029-30.
Finance Minister Rachel Reeves has struggled to stay on track with her plans to repair the public finances. The BBC said the Finance Ministry was believed to be cautious about the new defense spending proposals.
A government spokesperson said Britain was “delivering the largest sustained increase in defense spending since the Cold War.”
