President Gitanas Nausėda has said he expects positive news in the coming weeks on the arrival of a new rotation of US troops in Lithuania, after the current contingent completes its deployment.
"We received very positive signals from Washington DC, and those signals show that the United States treats Lithuania as a very trustworthy ally. They see our efforts to increase our defence spending as a very good indicator that we take our responsibilities seriously," Nausėda said in an interview with Bloomberg TV published on Thursday.
"I hope we will get some news in the coming weeks," he added.
US troops are currently leaving Lithuania as their rotation concludes, while Washington reviews its broader force posture in Europe. A new rotation is expected to replace them.
Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas has said he has received assurances from the US regarding the replacement of troops, and Laurynas Kaščiūnas, deputy chairman of the Seimas National Security and Defence Committee, has predicted that US forces will remain in Lithuania, though possibly in reduced numbers.
American troops have been regularly deployed to Lithuania since 2019, with their presence becoming a continuous rotation following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The deployments have typically involved more than 1,000 troops with combat equipment.
Lithuania has said it is prepared to host up to 1,500 US soldiers.
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