Lithuania seeks additional funds for the border with Kaliningrad

The Lithuanian Ministry of Interior estimates that the costs of modernising the 171-mile border with Russia, which runs along the Kaliningrad Oblast, amount to nearly £13,5 million. In October 2023, the country received an EU grant of £7.8 million.

The Lithuanian Minister of Interior, Agnė Bilotaitė, sent an official letter to the EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, requesting financial support to strengthen the state border protection with Russia. In a Monday statement, Bilotaitė emphasised the urgent need to modernise border monitoring systems.

Need for £13,5 million

The Lithuanian Ministry of Interior estimates that the costs of modernising the 171-mile border with Russia, which runs along the Kaliningrad Oblast, amount to nearly £13,5 million.

According to Bilotaitė, "modernisation is necessary to ensure the security of the European Union's external borders."

In October 2023, Lithuania received an EU grant of £7.8 million, allowing it to modernise the border monitoring systems along the 404-mile border with Belarus.