DOPESHEET Defense ministers from the three Baltic States said Thursday after a meeting they are mulling a joint medium range air defense system while Ukrainian counterpart also participating in the meeting warned about Russian activity in Eastern Ukraine and said there is a risk fighting will restart. The defense ministers of the three Baltic countries signed a memorandum of understanding to consider joint procurement of medium-range air defense systems, which they currently lack relying on national short range elements and NATO long range Baltic air police mission. The ministers of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania met in the northern Lithuanian city of Panevezys along with their Ukrainian counterpart, at a time when their relations with Russia are at a post-Soviet low over the Ukraine crisis. During the meeting Baltic ministers expressed will to help Ukraine in various fields, but did not mention anything particular regarding weapons. Defence Minister Stepan Poltorak warned the separatists were supported by Russia and their actions were difficult to predict concluding that there is a risk fighting will restart. SHOTLIST 05-28, Shots from the meeting in Panevezys Baltic Ministers of Defense sign cooperation agreement Soundbite (Lithuanian), JUOZAS OLEKAS, Lithuanian Minister of Defense: In this agreement we talk about opportunity to analyze and develop a joint capacity. There are no dates on purchases. Every our nation develop short range air defense capacity, there is NATO long rate air defense capacity, so now we agreed to analyze how could we jointly acquire such capacity as medium range air defense. Cutaway Soundbite (Lithuanian), JUOZAS OLEKAS, Lithuanian Minister of Defense: Truly we have already purchased some ammunition in the past together. This gives opportunity to better prepare for purchase maybe lowering a price a little bit and once the same equipment is purchased it is easier to synchronize in cooperative actions. Soundbite (Russian) STEPAN POLTORAK, Ukrainian Minister of Defense: English translation of interpreter after the answer: It is very hard to predict the future activity of separatists and those terrorists located in Doneck and Luhansk region. Still it’s fair to say that Russian federation is providing and active and all ground support to those formations in particular they have transported a lot of military equipment including tanks and artillery pieces that are allocated throughout the territories that they are controlling. Soundbite (Russian) STEPAN POLTORAK, Ukrainian Minister of Defense: English translation of interpreter after the answer: Besides a lot of Russian forces are located on the territory of Doneck and Luhansk regions and as you know, just recently we managed to capture two of their special operation forces personnel, so they keep conducting these kinds of operations. And now the usual type of operations they usually conduct are when they cross the clash line with some of their forces, then they open fire in the direction of their own forces trying to persuade everybody that this is our forces that open fire on them. Soundbite (Russian) STEPAN POLTORAK, Ukrainian Minister of Defense: English translation of interpreter after the answer: That is why we can consider there is a high risk of further escalation. Soundbite (Lithuanian), JUOZAS OLEKAS, Lithuanian Minister of Defense: We will help Ukraine in various fields as we have already done regarding training Ukrainian soldiers and sharing our experience in transforming armed forces under NATO standards and treating their injured soldiers and in other fields as well about which we cannot tell you everything. Soundbite (English), RAIMONDS VEJONIS, Latvian Minister of Defense: We discussed that till Warsaw summit it is necessary to continue discussions in NATO about permanent presence of NATO forces in our region. Vs of Lithuanian short range air defense weapon Grom purchased from Poland

• published: 29 May 2015
• views: 8