VILNIUS, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- The first U.S. troops of a new rotational deployment have arrived in Lithuania, President Gitanas Nauseda announced on Tuesday, marking the resumption of American troop rotations in the Baltic country.
Lithuanian Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas said in September that two U.S. battalions were expected to arrive by the end of October, bringing the American military presence in Lithuania back to more than 1,000 personnel, broadly in line with previous deployments.
More than 1,000 U.S. troops and their military equipment began leaving Lithuania in early June following the completion of their rotation. The arrival of their replacements was subsequently delayed as Washington reviewed its military presence in Europe. U.S. forces have conducted rotational deployments in Lithuania since 2014, with heavy battalion rotations beginning in 2019.
The latest arrival follows U.S. President Donald Trump's remarks last week that Washington would consider establishing a permanent U.S. military base in Lithuania. Nauseda welcomed the possibility, while Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius said Lithuania was prepared to accommodate permanently stationed American troops and cover the costs of establishing a base if Washington agreed. ■