Sinkevičius says Washington visit needs something to offer

Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius says his visit to Washington is being arranged but will take time because he cannot go to the United States empty-handed, LRT reports.

“The work is under way. You understand perfectly well that the current political leadership of the United States is, so to speak, deal-oriented. It is very difficult to go there and simply have a diplomatic visit without substance. We need to have something to offer and something to ask for,” Sinkevičius said during the government question hour in parliament on Thursday.

He said Lithuania needed to work out what it could offer, including military purchases, liquefied natural gas issues and other sensitive and less sensitive topics.

“This does not happen overnight or within a week. It takes time and effort,” Sinkevičius said, responding to Conservative MP Žygimantas Pavilionis, who had asked why the prime minister was not travelling to meet the US administration.

Sinkevičius noted that Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys was currently in Washington and at the United Nations, calling his trip preparatory work on behalf of Lithuania.

The prime minister also said he wanted to pursue the permanent deployment of US troops in Lithuania.

The United States is currently reviewing the presence of its troops in Europe. More than 1,000 American troops ended their rotation in Lithuania this summer. Although some remained in the country, Lithuania has not received a clear answer on whether a new rotation will arrive.

The United States has regularly deployed battalions of troops in Lithuania since 2019. After Russia invaded Ukraine, Washington changed the status of its forces in Lithuania to continuous rotational deployment. The reinforced battalions usually consisted of at least 1,000 troops and included various combat equipment.

Lithuania has said it is prepared to receive up to 1,500 US troops.