"We will definitely consider it. I know a lot of people in Lithuania. They are wonderful people," he told reporters on the White House lawn. In September 2026, Lithuania announced that a new rotation of American troops was heading to the country. The exact number was not disclosed by Vilnius and Washington, but traditionally the American contingent has been around 1,000 soldiers, primarily as part of an armored unit. Americans are in Lithuania as part of the joint defense of NATO's eastern flank. NATO emphasizes that allied troops in the Baltic countries are integrated into a common command and planning system. Lithuania is effectively becoming one of NATO's key military hubs on the eastern flank. A permanent German armored brigade of about 5,000 soldiers is being formed in the country, plus about 1,000 Americans, along with multinational NATO forces. All of this is particularly important due to Lithuania's geography: Belarus and the Russian Kaliningrad region are nearby, and the Suwalki Corridor, which connects the Baltic countries with the rest of NATO, runs through Lithuania. Lithuania is ready to "pay" for the permanent deployment of US troops, Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius stated in an interview with Bloomberg at the end of September. "We would definitely agree if they were willing. We really want American troops to be stationed here permanently. And we are ready to foot the bill if necessary," Sinkevičius said.
