Lithuania expects US troops to remain despite Trump’s potential withdrawal threats

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said he does not expect US troops to leave the country, despite reports that former US President Donald Trump may consider withdrawing American forces from nations not sufficiently supporting US operations in the Middle East, LRT reports.

“There is no new information regarding the presence of US troops in Lithuania—and in this case, no news is good news,” Nausėda told journalists on Wednesday. “We believe the US presence here will continue. We are prepared for very close cooperation with the US administration and fully understand that the host nation must cover certain costs. We are ready to do so.”

Nausėda confirmed he had already communicated this position in a letter to Trump.

The remarks follow a Wall Street Journal report earlier this month, citing US officials, that Trump is weighing a plan to relocate troops from countries deemed insufficiently supportive of US actions against Iran to those offering stronger backing.