Patriot missile system (Photo: AFP/VNA)

The announcement came as Russia prepares for large-scale military exercises in Belarus in September. The Patriot missile deployment is part of a July multi-national air defense plan named the Tobruk Legacy. At a joint press conference with Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite, US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis refused to comment on the possibility of launching a Patriot missile in Lithuania. He said all related decisions will be made in consultation with the Lithuanian government. He stressed that the NATO military exercises are defensive in purpose.