- US troops are returning to Lithuania after several months without a US military presence.
- President Gitanas Nauseda thanked President Donald Trump and the US administration for the decision.
- Nauseda said the US military presence is indispensable for deterrence and the security of the entire region.
- The number of returning troops was not given but will be no smaller than previous deployments of up to 1,000.
- US heavy battalions have rotated since 2019, and US forces are also in Estonia and Latvia after Russia's 2022 invasion.
US troops are returning to Lithuania, the Baltic state that had been nervous after several months without a US military presence, President Gitanas Nauseda said Tuesday.
Lithuania was among European states put on alert after US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced in June that Washington was conducting a six month review of US deployments in Europe.
US forces had been on rotational deployments in Lithuania since 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine. But about 1,000 US troops left in June without being replaced.
“Great news for Lithuania – US troops will continue to be stationed in our country. We are grateful to President Donald Trump and the US administration for this decision, which is important not only for Lithuania, but also for the security of the entire region,” Nauseda said in a statement.
“The US military presence in Lithuania is an indispensable part of our deterrence and collective defence, and our allies’ commitment to stand with us sends a clear message: NATO is ready to defend every inch of its territory,” he added.
The number of US troops returning was not given but the statement quoted Nauseda as saying it would be no smaller than the previous deployment. “US heavy battalions have been rotating in Lithuania since 2019, with deployments of up to 1,000 troops,” it said.
A few hundred troops were sent after 2014 but the number was increased in 2019 when tanks and other heavy equipment were deployed. US forces have also been in Estonia and Latvia since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
