Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė has signed a document confirming Lithuania’s commitment to acquiring 44 German Leopard 2 tanks. Negotiations for an earlier delivery date are also underway, according to a Lithuanian National Radio and Television report.
Franco-German land defense manufacturer KNDS is in charge of the production.
“In our meeting with the head of KNDS, we discussed the industry’s capacity to produce and deliver the tanks by 2030. We will continue talks in Lithuania in the near future,” Šakalienė said in a statement to the Baltic News Service.
As per the initial agreement, the first fleet of tanks is expected to arrive in 2029, with a full battalion planned by 2034. Vilnius is pushing to accelerate this timeline, aiming to have a fully operational national division equipped with tanks by 2030.
The acquisition is part of Lithuania’s strategy to modernize its armed forces and strengthen ties with the German military. Šakalienė said it marks the country’s largest defense deal to date. According to the country’s Ministry of National Defence, the decision to acquire the Leopard 2 tanks followed a military assessment from Lithuania’s National Defence Council, which identified them as the most efficient choice for strengthening its military capabilities.
Šakalienė, who signed the confirmation document with KNDS on her first official visit to Berlin, also met with Germany’s Federal Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius, reaffirming Lithuania’s commitment to stationing a German brigade in Lithuania, as outlined in a previous action plan. She also discussed the provisions to support the German military personnel and their families stationed in Lithuania.