Lithuania open to forging VFA with Philippines amid China threats

Metro Manila, Philippines - Lithuania is open to forging a Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the Philippines, signaling growing defense cooperation between the two nations as both face pressure from authoritarian powers like China and Russia.

In an exclusive interview with NewsWatch Plus, Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene confirmed that Manila and Vilnius have begun exploratory talks on the possibility of a VFA — a pact that would allow troops from each country to visit, train, and operate on each other’s soil under agreed legal terms.

“We just opened dialogue on certain areas, so we will see how that goes, we see that there is a need to have a Visiting Force Agreement, of course we are going to go further on that… We are open to discuss it, definitely,” Sakaliene said.

Her comments come days after Lithuania and the Philippines signed a defense cooperation agreement, the first between the two nations. The pact opens the door to deeper collaboration in areas like joint exercises, cybersecurity, strategic communication, and maritime domain awareness, amid growing regional instability.

Lithuania itself has faced diplomatic retaliation from Beijing after allowing a Taiwanese Representative Office to open in Vilnius. The move sparked a wave of economic and political pressure from China — and earned Sakaliene a personal blacklist.

“I’m the only NATO defense minister blacklisted by China — together with all my family — just for speaking out with truth about coercive and violent actions of China,” she said.

A ‘new axis of evil’

The Lithuanian minister warned that global security is being threatened by what she called a “new axis of evil” — a coalition of authoritarian regimes including China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran.

“They are supporting each other militarily, politically, economically… Their military industries work together. So we also need to work together,” Sakaliene said.

“If Russia decides to test the integrity of NATO, and China decides to go on the open offense in the South China Sea or invade Taiwan, and we are divided it will be very difficult to fight it off,” she added.

She urged stronger defense ties among democracies, especially in the Indo-Pacific, to counter hybrid warfare, disinformation, and aggression.

Areas of immediate cooperation could include cyber defense, joint military exercises, strategic communication, and defense technology.

Sakaliene’s trip to Manila included visits to the Philippine Navy and Philippine Coast Guard units operating in the West Philippine Sea. She also met with Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro to sign the bilateral defense cooperation agreement.

As part of that cooperation, Lithuania has invited a full Philippine team to join its Amber Mist cybersecurity exercise later this year alongside other Indo-Pacific partners such as Japan, South Korea, Australia, and Taiwan.

“We are already working together… We agreed to deepen our cooperation in the coming months, not really waiting any longer,” she said.

Asked how Lithuania sees its long-term relationship with the Philippines after this historic visit, Sakaliene responded with optimism.

“It’s more than opening a new chapter. It’s a signal that Europe and the Indo-Pacific must cooperate more — because the threats we face are increasingly the same.”