Lithuania Proposes to Poland to Expand Future Training Ground in the Suwałki Gap

The Lithuanian government has called on Warsaw to join the project to build a military training ground in Kapčiamiestis, in the Suwałki Gap.

According to the project, the training ground could be expanded into Polish territory to create a unique joint military facility for the two countries, reports Euronews.

Joint use of the future training ground with Poland will strengthen cooperation between the armies of both countries and the defense of the strategic Suwałki Gap, which is key to the security of NATO’s eastern flank.

According to the plan, the training ground, which is to be created by 2030, will cover an area of 14,600 hectares and will be designed for brigade-level exercises involving 3,500-4,000 military personnel, including the Lithuanian National Division and NATO allied forces.

“We welcome Poland’s willingness to use this training ground. This will enable us to strengthen not only the mutual cooperation of our armed forces, but also the defense of the Suwałki Gap,” the Lithuanian president emphasized. “This would be a unique solution in the context of NATO—a joint training ground designed to protect the eastern flank of the alliance.”

The Lithuanian president also proposed the creation of a joint free trade zone in Suwałki and Lazdijai.

According to the Lithuanian president, this would stimulate economic development in the border regions and open up access to the markets of both countries, as well as make joint projects in the defense-industrial complex attractive and simplify the attraction of EU funds for the development of projects in the field of electronics, artificial intelligence, and data centers.

In April 2024, Lithuanian Deputy Minister of Defense Tomas Godliauskas announced that Lithuania would build an additional transport route for the supply of weapons from Poland to ensure the security of the Suwałki Gap.

Suwałki Gap

The Suwałki Gap is a 65-kilometer strip of land between the Kaliningrad region and Belarus, a narrow strip of land less than 100 km long that connects Lithuania to the main territory of the European Union; it is called the “Achilles’ heel” on NATO’s eastern flank.

If Russia and Belarus use military force to seize this corridor, it would likely cut off the Baltic states – Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia – from their European NATO allies, and the area itself would become a critical “hot spot.”

Currently, the only direct land route connecting Kaliningrad with Russia is by air, across the Gulf of Finland to St. Petersburg.

Therefore, the Suwałki Gap is the closest point that could create a land corridor between Kaliningrad and Belarus.