„This will be one of the biggest acquisitions not only for the army but for Lithuania as a whole. We are talking about EUR 2 billion – including not only the cost of the tank but also the ammunition, logistics, and equipment. This is a big purchase“, Budrys told Žinių radijas.
ELTA recalls that on Monday after a meeting of the National Defence Council (NDC), Minister of National Defence Arvydas Anušauskas hinted that a letter of intent would soon be signed with the German manufacturers for the acquisition of tanks.
However, on Tuesday, Budrys said that it has not yet been decided which tanks Lithuania could acquire.
In May, Lithuanian army chief Valdemaras Rupšys announced that a light infantry division consisting of three brigades would be set up in Lithuania, as well as a tank battalion.
V. Rupšys stressed that the establishment of a tank battalion was necessary for the country, regardless of the decision to create a Lithuanian division.