Lithuania seeks continuous US troop presence, no matter election outcome – president

VILNIUS – Lithuania is seeking a continuous presence of American troops in the country, no matter the outcome of the US presidential election, President Gitanas Nauseda said after visiting US troops at the Pabrade training area on Tuesday.

"Our goal is the continued uninterrupted presence of US combat forces in Lithuania," he said.

Nauseda thanked the American allies for the continuous and smooth cooperation, and expressed hope that US troops will remain in Lithuania, regardless of the US election results, the president's office said in a press release.

At the General Silvestras Zukauskas training area in Pabrade, near Vilnius, Nauseda was shown the infrastructure used by American troops and was briefed on the status of host nation support and plans, and observed a live-fire exercise involving the US battalion's Abrams tanks.

The president emphasized that the deployment of Germany's brigade in Lithuania does not diminish the importance of the US military presence in the country.

Lithuania is building new military infrastructure at the Rudninkai training area in the eastern district of Salcininkai as part of efforts to better meet the training needs of both its own forces and its allies, including US troops training at Pabrade.

Nauseda also noted that the upgraded infrastructure at Pabrade will soon be able to accommodate about 1,000 American troops.

The president also highlighted the importance of expanding and accelerating Lithuania’s purchase of weapons from the United States, according to the press release.