Kaunas says most US military capabilities will be in Lithuania this year

Lithuanian Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said in an interview with LRT television that most of the planned US military capabilities in Lithuania should be in place by the end of this year, although no specific date has been announced.

“Everything is positive. I just would not want to get involved in political competition over who will be the first to name the specific date,” Kaunas told LRT’s current affairs programme Dienos tema.

He said Lithuania had received updated figures, details and preliminary dates on August 13, adding that the logistical and technical arrangements were still being worked out.

“I think that by the end of this year we will definitely have the vast majority of the capabilities in Lithuania. Exactly how many there will be is a matter of logistics and calculation,” Kaunas said.

He said the key point was that the United States regarded Lithuania as a reliable ally and recognised the problems facing the region.

Army Commander Raimundas Vaikšnoras told TV3 on Wednesday that new US troops would replace the American soldiers whose rotation in Lithuania was ending. He said the United States was keeping its word, although the timetable had slipped for political reasons rather than because of the military.