ATHENS

Croatia will deploy an artillery howitzer battery to Lithuania as part of a German-led NATO multinational battle group, with the unit expected to arrive in early 2026 at the latest, Lithuanian media reported Monday.

Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene, commenting after discussing the matter with her Croatian counterpart, Ivan Anusic, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference over the weekend, said: “We are grateful to Croatia for its years-long contribution to the security of the Baltic and the entire NATO eastern flank, contributing to the operations of NATO’s forward land forces, and for joining the Demining Coalition for Ukraine at our invitation,” said public broadcaster LRT.

The two ministers also discussed the situation in Ukraine, the European Union, and NATO agendas in response to the US position on the war in Ukraine, which differed from the European stance, it added.

The NATO Multinational Battlegroup was deployed in Lithuania in 2017.

The group is led by Germany, which provides the largest number of troops.