Nausėda urges caution over return of US troops to Lithuania

President Gitanas Nausėda has urged caution over a final decision on whether US troops will return to Lithuania, saying the United States still regards the country as a reliable strategic partner and the region as strategically important, LRT reported.

“No one has carved into the wall with a nail that American troops will be on Lithuanian territory,” Nausėda said.

He was speaking after another drone was found in Pasvalys district. Nausėda said it could have been one of the drones previously detected entering Lithuanian airspace but not found after search operations.

“That shows that the number of such incidents is not final,” he said, adding that Russia’s increasingly aggressive conduct could include allowing drones to deliberately deviate from their course and enter Lithuania, other Baltic countries or Poland.

According to Nausėda, such actions may be intended to create tension in society without directly confronting NATO. He said Russia was challenging Europe as a whole and that any European Union member state could potentially become a target.

The president also pointed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s annual address, saying it went beyond statements of support and included discussion of a possible European Union Article 4 mechanism and a European Security Council involving Canada, Norway and other non-EU countries.

Nausėda said this could lead to a unified European response and provide additional financial instruments to strengthen the security of the European Union’s external border.