German troops permanently sent to Lithuania's eastern border

The German military has not permanently stationed troops on foreign soil since World War Two.

Watch LiveBritish Broadcasting CorporationHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcastsRadioAudio FAQsVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveWeatherNewslettersWatch LiveWatch: German troops to be permanently sent to Lithuania's eastern borderGermany is set to launch its first permanent foreign military deployment since World War Two, sending troops to Lithuania's eastern flank.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and defence secretary Boris Pistorius attended an inauguration ceremony for the deployment, in the company of Lithuania's president Gitanas Nauseda, in the country's capital city of Vilnius.

"Peace in Europe has been broken, each and every day Russia is violating the order that we collectively adopted as a lesson from the horrors of the Second World War" Merz said.

However the brigade isn't due to be fully operational until 2027 with 5,000 troops set to be stationed there.

Lithuania is bordered by Latvia and Poland, as well as Russian exclave Kaliningrad to the west and Moscow's ally Belarus to the east.