Lithuania unreasonably scary: you will have to pay or you will be left without NATO protection

Still February 15. At a press conference, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said it would be worth rethinking the funding model for missions currently underway in the Alliance:

“Today, NATO’s path is to provide Alliance capabilities, organize deterrence and defense activities, such as battle groups in the eastern part of the Alliance, air surveillance missions and permanent naval deployment operations funded by the country that provides capabilities.

So if we send a certain amount of troops to the NATO battle group in Lithuania, as Norway does, Norway pays for this mission. I think we should change that, “Stoltenberg said.
This quote became the main “proof” to spread the misinformation that Lithuania will have to pay more for NATO protection, although in reality the context is quite different.

Taking advantage of the latest quote, an article appeared on the news portal The Baltic World, constantly spreading misinformation about the Baltic states, speculating that this idea by J. Stoltenberg may mean that the Baltic states will have to spend more money on Allied. troops or remain unprotected by the Alliance.

This text was shared by another well-known Kremlin propaganda portal, Baltnews.lt, which claims that the Baltic states may be left without NATO support due to insufficient funding.
However, a quote from the NATO Secretary General pointed out by The Baltic World has nothing to do with rumors that the Baltic states will have to pay for NATO support in some way.

2019 In late 2007, NATO launched a program to modernize the Alliance and adapt it to current and future challenges. In June 2020, the Secretary General set his priorities and presented a package of NATO 2030 proposals.

The program brings together allied decision-makers, civil society, public and private sector experts, and youth to rethink how to strengthen NATO. Stoltenberg will present the results of this process to NATO leaders when they meet in Brussels in 2021.

It is in this context that it is proposed to consider the development of NATO co-financing, which is also analyzed in the message under discussion. The plan currently being considered would involve the co-financing of military forces in service in Member States bordering Russia, air police operations, the deployment of warships for permanent maritime security missions or military exercises. The general budget would not be used for military operations outside NATO territory.

This was confirmed by specialists from the Department of Strategic Communication and Public Relations of the Ministry of National Defense, who said that it had never been said that the host country had to finance NATO forces in its territory.

“We note that the NATO secretary general has never discussed the use of NATO pool funds, and there has never been any discussion of the host country financing NATO forces on its territory. Lithuania is positive about the debate on the wider use of NATO co-financing, ”says SKD’s response.

According to press reports, some NATO diplomats have been wary of these proposals, as questions about how to implement and manage the overall budget remain open. NATO’s total budget is relatively small, around $ 2 billion. Most of these funds cover administrative and infrastructure costs.

The plan is also still hotly debated, as it is feared that increased defense spending on the coronavirus could generate resistance from societies and politicians in different countries. There is also talk that this latest plan is intended simply to appease the United States.

And while former US President Donald Trump has consistently emphasized that other allies have a debt to the United States and will have to “pay” for protection, the NATO leader or allies have not considered such a plan. Simple that host nations should simply cover the costs of deployed NATO troops. .