Eight decades after the surrender of Nazi troops in Europe, German tanks were graciously received in the Baltic state of Lithuania on May 22. The day marked the official launch of the first permanent deployment of German forces on foreign soil since World War II. In a ceremony to honor the historic event, however, the mood was less about shared defense against the Russian threat to Europe. Rather, it was more about shared gratitude.
Lithuania’s president, Gitanas Nausėda, thanked the German soldiers for their service, promising the best possible living conditions. A recent poll showed 85% of Lithuanians support Germany’s commitment of 4,800 soldiers to the front-line NATO state – a nod to the success of German pacifism since the war.
For his part, the new German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said he was “all the more grateful” to Lithuania for welcoming German troops with “respect and great hospitality,” given the “suffering that Nazi Germany brought” to the country.
“Hosting foreign troops on one’s own soil is not something to be taken for granted, especially here in Lithuania,” said Mr. Merz, the first chancellor to have served in the Bundeswehr, as the German armed forces are known.
“For us, too, and for the Bundeswehr in particular, today marks a step into a new era,” he said.
Germany began to take on to a heightened security role in Europe following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. But last year’s election of Donald Trump as U.S. president and the recent election of a more conservative government in Berlin under Mr. Merz have sped up German spending on defense and a greater sharing of military resources with NATO allies.
With the world’s third-largest economy, Germany now promises to build up Europe’s “strongest conventional army,” as Mr. Merz put it. That could take years and massive spending. Yet one big and necessary step is making sure allies accept the mantle of leadership in Europe that Germany is offering in their shared defense of freedom.
The May 22 ceremony marked such a strategic gesture. “This is a historic day,” Lithuania’s president said. “This is a day of trust, responsibility, and action.”
