US troops leave Lithuania as rotation ends, replacement timeline unclear

More than 1,000 US soldiers and their equipment have begun withdrawing from Lithuania following the completion of their rotation, though the arrival date and size of the next deployment remain undetermined, LRT reports, citing sources in Lithuania’s executive government and a senior presidential advisor.

The delay stems from a broader US review of troop deployments across Europe, according to Deividas Matulionis, chief national security advisor to Lithuania’s president. While he confirmed Lithuania has received assurances that US forces will remain in the country, he could not specify numbers or timing.

“We’ve received very clear confirmation from the Americans that the troops were here and will stay, but I cannot name a concrete figure today,” Matulionis told the Baltic News Service (BNS) on Tuesday. He described the rotation as logistically complex, noting that “natural time gaps” may occur. “We trust the Americans. We are close strategic partners, and the question of US troop presence on NATO’s eastern flank is well understood by both the Pentagon and the soldiers themselves,” he added.

Since 2019, the US has maintained a near-continuous rotational presence in Lithuania, upgrading to an uninterrupted deployment model after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Typical battalions have comprised over 1,000 personnel with combat vehicles and support equipment.

The uncertainty follows mixed signals from Washington in recent weeks. In May, the US announced it would halt the planned deployment of 4,000 troops to Poland, only for President Donald Trump to later declare 5,000 soldiers would instead be stationed there, citing his relationship with Polish President Karol Nawrocki.