Lithuania says it could pay for a permanent in-country US base

MILAN — The Lithuanian government said it would be willing to cover the cost of establishing a permanent US military base in the country, an offer that President Donald Trump said the US government would “certainly” consider.

“Our partners simply need to make a political decision regarding the permanent deployment of troops, and Lithuania is ready to cover the associated financial costs,” the Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius said on Facebook on Tuesday, as quoted by LRT, the country’s public broadcaster. 

Sinkevičius discussed the possibility of a Lithuanian-funded US base in an appearance on Bloomberg on Sept. 29, saying Vilnius would “go for” an American base there, akin to the Fort Trump proposed in Poland. He said he told a US official recently, “We would like to have American troops with a permanent stationing, and we are ready to pay the bill if that’s the case.”

The discussion comes amid wariness from America’s NATO allies related to efforts by the Trump administration to reduce troop presence in Europe, which has played out in fits and starts.

Sinkevičius expressed his thanks during the Bloomberg interview that a new, temporary rotation of American troops would soon be arriving in the Baltic country. Since 2019, the US has continuously deployed forces on a rotational basis to Pabradė Training Area in southwestern Lithuania near the border with Belarus. According to a statement from the US Army, as of 2025, over 1,000 US forces were operating and training in the country.

“We are grateful to Donald Trump and the US administration for this decision, which is important not only for Lithuania, but also for the security of the entire region. The US military presence in Lithuania is an indispensable part of our deterrence,” Sinkevičius wrote in a post on X on Sept. 22.

In February, the Germany announced that Berlin planned to set up a 5,000-person brigade that will be permanently stationed in Lithuania, composed of soldiers and civilian personnel. The troops are expected to be based primarily in the areas of Rūdninkai and Rukla, with training and firing ranges as well as accommodation. 

The Lithuanian Ministry of Defense did not respond to a request for comment at the time of writing on whether the German brigade arrangement could serve as a potential template for any future enduring American presence in the country.

Between Sept. 20-26, the Lithuanian Minister of National Defense Robertas Kaunas was also on an official visit to Washington, where he met with executives from Lockheed Martin, Palantir, Northrop Grumman, and Mach Industries.

A statement from Lithuanian authorities said that in the last three years, the Baltic nation has bought nearly €2 billion ($2.24 billion) worth of military equipment from the US, becoming its largest customer in the Baltic region.