Trump says he will consider establishing base in Lithuania
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he will consider establishing an American military base in Lithuania. He made the remark to reporters at the White House.
Lithuania’s Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius has said his country is ‘ready to pay the bill’ for a permanent US base. Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas raised the proposal with US defence official Elbridge Colby.
Two American battalions of about 1,000 troops are expected to arrive in Lithuania in late October for a nine-month rotation. They will replace a battalion withdrawn in the summer during a Pentagon posture review.
Lithuania, a former Soviet republic, borders Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave. Baltic officials say they want as much allied military presence as possible given Russian aggression.
Trump has also touted a possible ‘Fort Trump’ base in Poland with President Karol Nawrocki. No decisions on the Lithuania proposal have been announced. Vilnius has pushed for a permanent US base ever since the troop rotation model left gaps in the allied presence.
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