A NATO country thought it could get by without tanks. It doesn't any more.

• Lithuania, a NATO state that borders Russia, is acquiring tanks for the first time.
• A Lithuanian official told BI that seeing the invasion of Ukraine prompted the rethink.

Lithuania, a NATO member with Russia on its doorstep, is acquiring tanks for the first time in its history.

The move was prompted by seeing how important tank warfare has been to Ukraine's efforts to hold back Russia's invasion, a defense official told Business Insider.

Lithuania's State Defense Council agreed last month to buy Leopard 2 tanks from Germany, part of a broader move to beef up its military.

Vaidotas Urbelis, the policy director of Lithuania's defense ministry, told BI the purchase was driven by watching Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"One of the things that Russia's war in Ukraine has highlighted is the strategic significance of tanks in reclaiming seized territory," he said. "Tanks play a vital role in combined arms maneuvers, enabling mobile operations alongside infantry."

Like many other nations, Lithuania says it needs to be ready in case of a Russian attack, an eventuality Urbelis called the "worst-case scenario."

Urbelis said that after Russia's invasion, "our defense budget increased substantially. Before that, we were not able to even think about tanks."

It's the first time the country has acquired tanks since its independence from the collapsing Soviet Union in 1990.

"We don't have tanks yet. It's going from zero," Urbelis said.

He said Lithuania was still in the "early phases of negotiation" and had not yet arrived at a price for the tanks.

It is unclear how many tanks it will buy, but its chief of defense said last year that 54 would be a good target.

Lithuania wants its new tank unit to be combat-ready by 2030.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has prompted Lithuania, like many European countries, to hike defense spending and strike more defense agreements with allies.

It is now one of Europe's highest spenders on defense based on GDP and is urging other NATO members to follow suit.

Lithuania is also acquiring more armored vehicles and missiles, hosting more NATO troops permanently in the country, and strengthening its border fortifications.

Tanks fit into that wider plan, Urbelis said: "Everything works in combination. Tank alone is not something that is worth it to have."

Both Russia and Ukraine have been using tanks in their war, with both sides using older, Soviet-era models as well as more advanced ones. Russia, however, has significantly more.

Ukraine's tanks fleet includes some Leopard 2s given by Western allies after months of Ukrainian pleading, alongside support from allies like Lithuania, who had none of their own to give.

Before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, some analysts had started to doubt that tanks still had a major role in modern warfare.

They have had mixed performances in this war, often defeated by drones, landmines, and infantry with rockets. Russia, in particular, has lost a huge number of tanks.

But they have also proven useful, keeping soldiers alive in battlefields dominated by drones and artillery fire or by destroying entrenched positions.

Ukraine's European allies are repairing their damaged tanks and buying new ones, showing many countries thinking much like Lithuania.

Russia also appears to see their value and is seeking to replenish its lost tanks.