“The deployment of the Patriot system in Lithuania is scheduled for July. It will be our bilateral exercise with the Netherlands,” Rupšys told reporters at a press conference on Tuesday.

“This is a bilateral action that will also reflect the overall picture of NATO’s defence,” he added.

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In end-March, the Dutch Ministry of Defence announced the Netherlands will be sending a Patriot system to Lithuania for an exercise for several weeks.

“It is an important signal to our eastern Allies: you can rely on the Netherlands, including concerning air defence,” Dutch Defence Minister Kajsa Ollongren had said.

The Dutch unit will be training side by side with Lithuanian Armed Forces’ units.