Lithuania ready to host additional US troops, defence minister says

Lithuanian Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said on Thursday that the country is prepared to receive additional US troops and supply the infrastructure needed to deploy them. He made the statement after meeting Matthew Whitaker, the US ambassador to NATO, at the Berlin Security Conference. The issue matters because it concerns the American military presence on NATO's eastern flank.

Writing on Facebook, Kaunas said the ambassador had described the military infrastructure built and developed in Lithuania as exemplary. The minister said he assured Whitaker that Lithuania was ready to host more forces.

Topics of the talks

According to Lithuania's Defence Ministry, the discussion covered the continuity of the US military presence in Lithuania, strengthening NATO's eastern flank, hybrid threats, intelligence sharing, air defence and support for Ukraine. Kaunas stressed that although Lithuania is investing in its own air defence capabilities, NATO forces are also needed.

How the US presence has changed

During a US review of its military posture in Europe this summer, just over 100 American troops remained in Lithuania. In September, however, it was announced that two US battalions would arrive by late October, restoring the presence to more than 1,000 troops, a level maintained in recent years. Kaunas described the deployment as a result of Lithuania's efforts.

He added that European countries must take greater responsibility for their own security and that Lithuania must increase investment in national and regional defence. He also said cooperation between the US and Lithuanian armed forces and defence institutions remains close.

Earlier statements

In early October, US President Donald Trump said Washington would consider establishing a permanent military base in Lithuania. Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius has previously said Lithuania is prepared to host US troops permanently and to cover the costs of a permanent base if Washington decides to build one. US troops have rotated through Lithuania on nine-month deployments, in varying numbers, since 2014.