"SDC members agreed on the need to accelerate the acquisition of medium-range air defense systems," Kestutis Budrys, a chief adviser to Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, told reporters after the SDC meeting.
The systems will be bought next year, he said.
The need to step up the acquisition of these air defense systems is dictated by the changed situation after last week's incident when a missile landed in Poland near its border with Ukraine, killing two local citizens, Budrys underlined.
In his words, working with allies to decide on a regional air defense system is "a priority" in the run-up to next year's NATO summit in Vilnius, the presidential advisor said.
Budrys didn’t elaborate on whether the medium-range systems Lithuania plans to buy would be the NASAMS that Lithuania already has, adding that several options are being considered.
"A number of options are on the table at the moment, yes, several systems have been named. Two criteria will be important for us: one, the implementation time-frame and when we could get these systems at the earliest, and the second important criterion is the integrity of our existing defense systems, with the whole NATO system. Because, as you know, our existing NASAMS medium-range air defense systems are an integral part of the NATO system," the adviser said.
In his words, the existing market is very dynamic, therefore, decision on specific weapons will be made in the near future.
Besides medium-range systems, the Lithuanian army also has short-range air defense systems, but it does not have long-range weapons and is, therefore, dependent on NATO allies.