„On the part of the members of the government, we are focusing more on the ongoing review process. We hope that this (...) will yield the desired result. We truly appreciate the Baltic Security Initiative; it is essential, but our most fundamental goal is the presence of forces. We are currently putting our greatest efforts into this and are looking at what else we could offer them,“ Šakalienė told reporters in the Seimas on Wednesday.
She made these remarks after a closed meeting of the Seimas Foreign Affairs Committee (URK), which discussed the announcement made in early September that the Washington administration intends to terminate financial military assistance. This assistance, under which the US allocates funds to Lithuania and other countries to purchase American weapons or train forces stationed there, is set to expire.
According to the minister, the US Congress and Senate have a favourable view of Lithuania and the importance of maintaining the Baltic security initiative.
„However, one of the key elements is that we must play this political game rationally, because the presence of US troops in our region is our most important goal,“ she said.
Nevertheless, the minister said she could not say at this time when Washington would complete its review of the presence of its forces in various regions of the world. According to her, the initial plan was to complete everything by the beginning of September, but the process has now been delayed.
„But next week in Brussels, I hope to have some talks where we will see how the process is going,“ she noted.
However, Šakalienė stated that the protracted procedures are a favourable factor for Lithuania.
„During this process, it has become clear that the White House sees problems with Russia, which caused us great concern a few months ago. Now this position is much more favourable to us,“ she said.
The minister also emphasised that the US message remains the same—European countries can and must pay for their own security.
„In their view, certain programs are more of an expression of financial support, where they would like Europe to take care of its own needs financially,“ said the politician.
Budrys: I hear a lot of positive things
Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys also says that the presence of US troops in the region is a much more important priority than Washington's financial support. Furthermore, he says that the administration's intentions to terminate military support should not be viewed as ideologically motivated.
„The initiative from Congress to encourage this part of Europe to support and expand our cooperation is significant, and we must maintain it. I certainly hear a lot of positive things, and I am optimistic,“ Budrys told reporters in the Seimas.
According to him, the presence of US troops is a concrete deterrent. At the same time, the minister said that financial issues are not viewed ideologically in Washington, as it is believed that Europe can take care of itself.
„When it comes to money, they say, 'Look, you can afford it. ' That is their message. Therefore, when working with the Americans on this program, our efforts should be focused on our homework (added by ELTA), on what we ourselves are doing to defend ourselves. America doesn't like losers (failures – ELTA), and we need to understand that. We are doing a lot, we will get a better partnership, and we are working in that direction,“ emphasised Budrys.
„On the other hand, we should not forget that there are other programs that are not only administered by the Pentagon, as is the case with this one. The U.S. Department of State administers some. We are also talking about their continuity,“ the politician noted.
ELTA recalls that in early September, the American publications The Washington Post and the Financial Times reported on the White House administration's intentions to terminate military aid to countries bordering Russia. Under this program, funding is also allocated to the Baltic countries.
Western media reported that U.S. administration officials had informed European diplomats of Washington's decision to halt funding for programs training and equipping the armed forces of Eastern European countries bordering Russia.
According to the US Government Accountability Office, between 2018 and 2022, USD1.6 billion was allocated to the programme in Europe, with Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia as the primary beneficiaries.
The Trump administration wants Europe to take on a greater role in its own defence.
Motuzas: We hope that the support will continue
Remigijus Motuzas, Chairman of the Seimas Committee on Foreign Affairs (URK), acknowledges that the amount of aid allocated should not be overemphasised, but that the Baltic Security Initiative is more of a symbolic political gesture.
„We consider this to be moral and political support because, after all, when considering the Baltic Initiative program and its further extension, the question of the presence of US troops here in Lithuania could arise. Therefore, this program is complex,“ said the politician.
According to him, Lithuania is directly requesting that this initiative be continued through members of Congress.
„So far, we don't know if we have convinced (the Senate and Congress – ELTA), but our diplomats have had many meetings and many discussions (...). Currently, there is general support among members of Congress and the Senate. Proposals and amendments have been registered. We hope that support for Lithuania will continue,“ said Motuzas.