What happened
President Donald Trump has expressed willingness to consider establishing a US military base in Lithuania. This comes after Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius stated that his country would welcome a permanent US military presence and is prepared to cover the related financial costs.
Trump's statement was made during a press briefing on October 5, where he said, “We’ll certainly look at it”. Sinkevicius had previously discussed the proposal with Trump's envoy John Coale and reiterated his support for a permanent stationing of US troops on October 6.
Lithuania, a NATO member, borders Russia and Belarus, and has hosted a rotating US armored battalion of almost 1,000 troops since 2019. The calls for a permanent US base in Lithuania follow similar discussions about establishing a US Army base in Poland, another NATO country.
Trump had previously announced that significant steps had been taken toward setting up a US Army base in Poland, which he described as a “historic step” for the two nations. The US Army Garrison Poland currently has a presence, but not a permanent base.
