Lithuania has requested that the U.S. military's deployment in the country be permanent
Linas Linkevičius, head of the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry, said that the country considers the constant presence of American troops in their territory necessary, and that this request has already been expressed to the US authorities.
“We are advocating the constant presence of American troops, on account of the fact that our own possibilities are extremely limited,” Linkevičius stated, as cited by Delfi.
He also added that he made this request to the US Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work and Deputy Secretary of State Thomas Shannon.
Linkevičius also told the American colleagues that the most important aspect for Lithuania is the issue of anti-air defense, which Lithuania has “virtually none” of.
As noted, the Lithuanian constitution prohibits the presence of other states’ military bases in its territory. However, the head of the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry believes that the deployment of American forces on a permanent basis is possible if the country gives them permission to use their own bases, with Lithuania retaining the ownership right.
Earlier, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė stated that without Washington’s participation, the safety of Europe cannot be guaranteed. She emphasized the importance of American troops for the purpose of maintaining safety in the region.