Vilnius will make an advance payment for a batch of German-made Leopard tanks in 2025 to form a tank battalion by 2030. Defense Minister of Lithuania Dovil Šakaliene announced this on Žinių radijas radio station.
"This year we plan to make an advance payment for armored vehicles, then we will be able to deploy the tank battalion by 2030," he said.
On December 16, 2024, during a visit to Berlin, Shakaliene signed a protocol confirming Lithuania's acquisition of 44 German Leopard tanks. The tank battalion (Lithuania never had this equipment) will form the basis of the motorized rifle division, which is being formed in the army of the Baltic republic.
