The United States will not reduce its troops presence in Lithuania, currently numbering over 1,000, Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene stated, BNS reports. Speaking in an interview with LRT, Ruginiene assured that there was no risk of the US cutting the number of troops in the country following the government’s decision to raise defence spending sharply, ELTA reported. Earlier, President Gitanas Nauseda received a letter from US President Donald Trump praising Lithuania for raising defence spending above NATO’s target of 5% of GDP, ELTA reported. Nauseda said that the letter demonstrated that the US would continue to pay attention to Lithuania. Meanwhile, Nauseda’s chief foreign policy adviser, Asta Skaisgiryte, welcomed the new US National Security Strategy, which stated that the US should prioritise relations with “the healthy nations of Central, Eastern, and Southern Europe,” BNS reported. She stressed Lithuania’s strong trade ties with the US, including purchases of weapons and LNG.
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