Lithuania offers to pay for permanent US troop presence on its territory

Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius told Bloomberg that his country wants a permanent, rather than merely rotational, US military presence on its territory and is prepared to cover the associated costs. He said he had already raised the matter with John Coale, a special representative of the US president.

"I told him that we would actually like to have American troops deployed on a permanent basis, and we are ready to cover the costs if that happens," Sinkevičius said.

Current situation

At present, US forces in Lithuania are deployed only on a rotational basis. Sinkevičius thanked the United States for its decision to send a new contingent to the country after the latest rotation ended in June, saying the move made Lithuania feel safer in the face of neighboring Russia's "imperialist dreams."

Lithuanian Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas said that as part of the new rotation, two battalions of American soldiers will arrive in Lithuania at the end of October.

Poland's example

Poland, which is preparing to establish the first permanent US military base, has offered to pay $15,000 per year for each American soldier stationed on its territory and to cover infrastructure costs. Polish President Karol Nawrocki has previously said the matter of establishing a US base in Poland has been "decided" and that the facility will be called "Fort Trump."