Latvia and Lithuania Say They’d Welcome More US Troops

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(Bloomberg) — The foreign ministers of Latvia and Lithuania said their countries would be ready to host more US soldiers after the administration of President Donald Trump announced it will withdraw thousands of troops from Germany. 

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“We are having a number of conversations with American allies, and they also say we are a model ally,” Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze said in an interview with Bloomberg TV in Brussels on Monday. “So we would very much welcome that development.”

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Her Lithuanian counterpart Kestutis Budrys told Bloomberg TV that Vilnius welcomes US troops “wherever they are” on the continent, though said the closer those forces are to Russia the more effective their role in deterrence.

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Washington said this month that it plans to cut the US’s military presence in Germany by more than 5,000 troops, deepening concerns about a growing rift within NATO military alliance.

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Budrys touted his country’s “state-of-the-art conditions” for hosting soldiers, which he said could be expanded. Alongside about 1,000 US troops, Lithuania already hosts a German battle tank brigade that will have as many as 5,000 personnel on the ground by the end of 2027. 

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The EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas said on Monday that it was important that US troops stay in Europe, where they also protected US interests in addition to Europe. Trump signaled last week that US soldiers could be redeployed to Poland. Warsaw said it was ready to host them.

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Latvia and Lithuania, both members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union, are among the staunchest supporters of the US in Europe and have raised their defense spending to 5% of economic output. 

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Still, “the important part is to keep that cooperation between the US and Canada and European allies going strong,” Braze said. 

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Latvia will work with Ukraine and its allies to better handle defense against drones that stray into its territory, Braze said, after two drones crashed last week in the country’s east, forcing Defense Minister Andris Spruds to resign late on Sunday. 

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NATO fighter jets were scrambled to intercept the drones, which went off course after being aimed at Russian targets due to jamming or interference. “We had our armed forces ready to take them down, but in the end they fell,” she said. 

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Last week’s incursions “were Ukrainian drones that were disabled by Russia,” Braze said. “So we will be working with Ukrainian colleagues. We will be working with allies.”

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—With assistance from Andrea Palasciano and Milda Seputyte.

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(Adds comments from Lithuanian foreign minister in third and fifth paragraphs, context on Lithuania from lede)

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