What happened
Lithuania's Prime Minister has expressed the country's desire for a permanent US troop presence. The Prime Minister stated that Lithuania is willing to cover the costs of such a deployment. Currently, US troops are deployed in Lithuania on a rotational basis, with two battalions set to arrive in October. This development comes after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which led to an uninterrupted rotational deployment of US troops in Lithuania.
The Prime Minister discussed the issue with the US Special Envoy for Minsk, and Lithuania has previously indicated it can host up to 1,500 US troops. American troops have been regularly deployed in Lithuania since 2019, and their presence is seen as a significant factor in the country's defense strategy.
