When asked whether Lithuania had taken too long to prepare a package of proposals for the US regarding the permanent deployment of American troops in the country, the prime minister insisted that such processes take time and that decisions do not depend solely on Lithuania’s initiative.
„We have a minister of national defence, and my position is well known. It remains unchanged, and we will certainly do everything we can. Again, let’s look at it this way – it’s not as though the US acts on Lithuania’s wishes. The US has its own strategic objectives and its own view on where to deploy its contingent.
So, it’s not solely dependent on our wishes here, but political and diplomatic work is being carried out,“ he emphasised.
Susiję straipsniai
„Such matters are never resolved quickly. Just look at the troop rotation – how long did it take? You asked when it would happen in the summer, and you asked again in the autumn. Well, it finally happened in November. Such processes take time,“ added the Prime Minister.
He insists that the US is not putting pressure on Lithuania over the transit of Belarusian fertiliser
The prime minister also dismissed suggestions that negotiations on the permanent presence of US troops in Lithuania could be linked to the transit of Belarusian fertiliser.
According to Sinkevičius, Lithuania has not received any official pressure from Washington to ease sanctions against Belarus or to seek ways to resume the transit of sanctioned goods.
„There is no pressure whatsoever from the US for us to sit down, talk, look for ways to facilitate the transit of sanctioned goods (transit – ELTA) or to respond to Belarus’s wishes and lift the sanctions. There is no such pressure, and we have never heard anything of the sort from official sources,“ he emphasised.
„Perhaps somewhere across the Atlantic, someone is making decisions, and such off-the-cuff remarks reach our ears, leading us to draw far-reaching conclusions. But I want to reassure you – our sanctions policy towards Belarus remains unchanged. We are certainly not considering any behind-the-scenes manoeuvres regarding negotiations with the US, linking the deployment of troops, fertilisers or transit,“ the prime minister assured.
ELTA reports that on Thursday, Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said Lithuania is prepared to host additional US forces and provide the infrastructure needed for their deployment. The minister spoke about this at the Berlin Security Conference during a meeting with the US Ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker.
At the end of October, more than 200 US soldiers arrived in Lithuania. As President Gitanas Nausėda previously announced, the number of US troops stationed in the country is expected to rise to around a thousand or more in the near future.
US heavy battalions have been rotating through Lithuania since 2019. American troops are stationed in Pabradė, where they take part in joint exercises with the Lithuanian Armed Forces and NATO allies.