Vilnius hopes that US troops will remain permanently in the country, Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said on Friday after meeting with a delegation of US senators visiting Lithuania.
Landsbergis noted that the US role in the region remains indispensable, the Foreign Ministry said.
"Today, Lithuania is no longer just a consumer of security as we are making a significant contribution to support Ukraine, increasing our national defence budget and investing in military infrastructure,” Landsbergis said in a press release.
“We hope that US troops will remain permanently in Lithuania and will contribute to deterrence and strengthening of defence on the eastern flank as threats in our region are only increasing due to the aggressive actions of Russia and neighbouring Belarus," he added.
US troops have been in Lithuania since 2014 on a rotational basis following Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the war in Donbas. Vilnius seeks American troops to be in the country on a permanent, rather than the roughly six-month rotational, presence.
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