„In October, the State Defence Council will convene, where we will finally decide on the contract for the creation of the tank battalion. (&) If the council’s decision is favourable, in November we can sign a contract on the establishment of the tank battalion,“ Kasčiūnas told LRT television on Thursday.
The minister added that so far Lithuania is only considering the procurement Leopard-2 tanks. According to him, this was discussed at a meeting with German Defence Minister Pistorius and the German media.
As reported previously, the State Defence Council concluded in January 2024 that German-made tanks Leopard-2 would be purchased for the Lithuanian tank battalion that would be created as part of a new division-sized unit.
Minister Kasčiūnas earlier stated that the planned tank battalion could be established by 2035 in stages, starting from a tank company at first.