The European Commission plans to allocate additional funds to EU countries bordering Russia and Belarus to strengthen defense and migration management.
This was announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during her visit to Lithuania on September 1, where she met with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda near the Belarusian border.
Von der Leyen noted that Lithuania faces ongoing military and hybrid threats, including the instrumentalization of migrants, emphasizing that threats to Lithuania are threats to all of Europe.
She stressed the need for rapid and substantial improvements in defense supply and announced that an informal European Council meeting in October will present a five-year “roadmap” aimed at closing gaps in defense investment and capabilities.
In the future long-term EU budget, funding for migration management and border protection is set to triple, with additional support specifically for countries directly bordering Russia and Belarus.
“You are facing Russia in Kaliningrad, as well as Belarus at your border. You live under geopolitical and economic pressure, as well as constant military and hybrid threats. For example, the instrumentalization of migrants is something Lithuania knows very well,” von der Leyen said.
She also reminded that Ukraine’s security guarantees include a strong army, a multinational “coalition of the willing” supported by the U.S., EU defense capabilities, and Ukraine’s future EU membership.
