Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said he had no information that the United States planned to reduce its troop presence in Lithuania.
"As for the reported plans to review the US presence in the region, I have no confirmation of that at this time. Yes, I've seen the same reports, but I have no information, even unofficially, when it comes to Lithuania," the foreign minister told reporters on Wednesday.
His comment came after the Romanian Defence Ministry said on Wednesday that Washington would pull back some troops deployed on NATO's eastern flank.
Romania's Defense Minister Ionut Mosteanu said the decision was not a "withdrawal" but rather "the "cessation of the rotation of a brigade that had elements in several NATO countries, including Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary".
US troops are deployed in Lithuania on a rotational basis, changing every nine months. A new rotation began in October, and the Defence Ministry is currently in talks with Washington about extending future rotations.
Budrys said Lithuania was working closely with the US to ensure that American forces remain stationed in the country.
"We are confident that these are the best conditions anywhere in the world for US troops. And we have every argument – political, security, strategic, economic and financial," he said.
Budrys noted that there are differing opinions in the US on whether to strengthen or scale back its military presence on NATO's eastern flank.
"But we're waiting for word from those actually making the plans – once the numbers are finalised within their system, after the internal reviews and staff-level discussions. So far, there are no such numbers," the minister said.
Similarly, President Gitanas Nauseda's chief national security advisor Deividas Matulionis told the 15min news website on Wednesday that he had no information about any US plans to reduce its forces in Lithuania.
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