NATO to raise issue of Russia's militarization near Alliance border

Vilnius has been concerned about deployment of modern weaponry systems in the Russian region of Kaliningrad, wedged between Lithuania and Poland.

"It was also achieved – in this case, mainly thanks to efforts by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the President's Office – that the Chicago documents expressed concern about what is happening near NATO's borders. It was decided that the issue will be raised at the NATO-Russian Council," Juknevičienė said at a press conference on Thursday.

It is included among NATO's objectives in the declaration adopted by state leaders at the NATO Chicago Summit.

"We intend to raise with Russia in the NRC (NATO-Russia Council) Allied concerns about Russia’s stated intentions regarding military deployments close to Alliance borders," the declaration says.

Russia's political and military leadership have recently threatened on numerous occasions to deploy modern missile systems, including tactical, in Kaliningrad. This way Russia wants to make the United States and NATO take into account its interests while building a missile defense system in Europe.