Lithuanian Foreign Minister Optimistic About US Troop Return

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said on Friday that he is optimistic about the return of US troops to Lithuania. According to the minister, he discussed the issue with NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Alexus Grinkevich, during the NATO summit in Ankara this week.

"I was assured that in the near future we will learn what the solution will be," Budrys told journalists in Vilnius. He emphasized that he trusts those responsible for rotation planning and added that the US is aware of Lithuania's political, economic, and strategic arguments.

In June, approximately 1,000 US soldiers left Lithuania after their rotation ended, but the timing and size of the next contingent remain unclear as the US reviews its military presence in Europe. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda and Armed Forces Commander General Raimundas Vaikšnoras have previously reported positive signals from Washington.

A similar situation is seen in Estonia, where most US troops have been withdrawn, but the next rotation unit is expected this summer. Latvia's Defense Ministry stated that there have been no indications from the US about reducing troop numbers in Latvia.