Earlier, the Financial Times quoted sources as saying that America was discussing the deployment of additional nuclear forces in Poland and the Baltic States. Kaunas’ statement was the first public confirmation that Lithuania was also involved in such talks.
“Discussions are ongoing,” Kaunas was quoted as saying by the Delfi portal. About a thousand US troops are now due to leave Lithuania, while the issue of a new US troop rotation remains under consideration by Washington.
Lithuania’s constitution prohibits the deployment of weapons of mass destruction in the country. However, President Gitanas Nauseda admits the possibility of changing it due to security threats.
The Financial Times wrote that the U.S. plans to deploy dual-purpose aircraft capable of carrying both conventional missiles and nuclear charges in Europe.
At present, such aircraft are stationed at air bases of six NATO allies – in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey and the UK.
Lithuania has consistently favored strengthening NATO’s presence on its eastern flank. Vilnius is increasing military spending, hosting alliance units and calling on allies to more tightly contain Russia.
