U.S. troops will remain in Lithuania for at least two more nine-month rotations, i.e., around 18 months, Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene declared this Friday.
“I want to say that the same number of U.S. soldiers will remain in Lithuania for two more periods and that security and cooperation with our main strategic partners are guaranteed for a longer period,” she said at a joint press conference of the three Baltic prime ministers.
In Lithuania, there are more than 1,000 U.S. soldiers deployed.
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In Washington’s new national security strategy, the U.S. claims it wants to readjust its global military presence to focus more on Latin America and the fight against migration, and emphasizes the need for NATO allies, especially Europe, to assume their own defense burdens.
Ruginiene pointed out that this document “does not constitute the entire foreign policy of the United States”, but stressed that the Baltic countries have already met many of Washington’s demands.
“We have just announced that the three Baltic countries have reached 5% in defense spending and I believe this is also stated in the document, that Europe must do more for its own security,” he indicated.
Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal and Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa highlighted that they also saw positive aspects in the new global strategy of the United States.
“The US government expects investments in its own defense from Europe, as a free and prosperous region, and this has been discussed since the first Administration of (President Donald) Trump. The security problems here (in the Baltic countries) are not linked to Trump, but to Russia and President (Vladimir) Putin, and that is why we invest in our defense,” said the former.
