Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said regional nations will work together to show that Eastern Europe is the best location for a US military presence in Europe, adding that Lithuania is leading the “rat race” to host American troops.
"I believe that together, as a region, we will show that the best place for the United States in Europe is specifically the Eastern European part," Kaunas told reporters on Friday. "If we were to call it a rat race, then Lithuania is leading."
The remarks follow the end of a rotation as more than 1,000 American troops and their equipment began withdrawing from Lithuania this week. As the US reviews its force posture in Europe, their presence in Lithuania may face a longer-than-usual temporary gap.
Kaunas previously said he had received assurances from the US that the departing troops would be replaced by new units.
Meanwhile, Laurynas Kasčiūnas, deputy chairman of the Seimas Committee on National Security and Defence (NKVC), predicts that US troops will remain in Lithuania, albeit on a smaller scale.
The US has recently been adjusting some of its deployment plans across Europe, though troop levels in Poland remain significant.
Kaunas declined to speculate on specific decision dates but emphasised that Lithuania is prepared to host up to 1,500 US troops.
Rotations of American troops in Lithuania have been continuous since 2019.
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, this shifted to a persistent rotational deployment, with units of over 1,000 soldiers and heavy equipment replacing one another in succession.
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