US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to Baltic security and praised the Baltic states for raising their military spending during a meeting with the Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian foreign ministers on Tuesday, according to his spokeswoman.
“Secretary Rubio emphasized our strong ties to Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia and reinforced our commitment to Baltic security,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a readout.
“The secretary welcomed their earnest contributions to European collective security through increased defense spending and burden sharing,” she said.
The three Baltic foreign ministers are visiting Washington, DC, amid concerns among European allies about US security commitments under Donald Trump’s presidency.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys said earlier that he had told his US counterpart that Lithuania was ready to host more American troops.
American troops have been rotating in Lithuania intermittently since the spring of 2014, and US heavy battalions have been stationed in the country since 2019.
In early March, NBC News cited current and former senior officials as saying that as the US reviews its troop deployment in Europe, Trump is considering “favoring NATO members that spend a set percentage of their GDP on defense”.
Lithuanian politicians have repeatedly said they are seeking a permanent US military presence in the country.
Lithuania plans to allocate 5 to 6 percent of its GDP to defence over the next five years. Latvia and Estonia are also increasing their military funding.
During the meeting with the Baltic ministers, Rubio “also emphasized President Trump’s determination to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine”, Bruce said.
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