Vaikšnoras says incoming US troops will replace departing forces

New US troops are on their way to Lithuania and will replace American soldiers who have completed their rotation, Army Commander Raimundas Vaikšnoras said on Wednesday, according to LRT.

“The Americans are keeping their word. The deadlines may have been pushed back slightly, but this is not due to the military. It is because of certain political reasons,” Vaikšnoras told TV3.

He said Lithuania was ready to receive the troops, with barracks prepared, training grounds available and targets set up. The incoming soldiers will train in cooperation with the Lithuanian military.

Vaikšnoras said he had specific information about the troops, including their numbers and arrival dates, but could not disclose it until final decisions had been made.

More than 1,000 US soldiers and their equipment began leaving Lithuania in early June after their rotation ended. Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said he had received assurances from allies that new troops would replace them.

President Gitanas Nausėda has said the US contingent planning to come to Lithuania could be larger than previous deployments.

Washington began continuously rotating forces in the Baltic states and Poland after Russia invaded Ukraine four years ago. US heavy battalions have been rotated in Lithuania since 2019.