American troops are returning to Lithuania following discussions between Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda and U.S. President Donald Trump, Nausėda told Fox News. The deployment includes two American battalions headed to Lithuania, with additional troops bound for Estonia, according to the LRT English Newsletter.
The announcement comes amid heightened security concerns in the Baltics, with Danish intelligence warning of a low but growing risk of Russian troop movements into a NATO country, echoing the 2014 "little green men" scenario in Ukraine. Lithuanian officials, however, have urged caution, stating that panic would play into the Kremlin’s hands and noting there is no immediate evidence of an apocalyptic threat.
Nausėda revealed he personally appealed to Trump to maintain a U.S. military presence in the Baltics. The decision to redeploy troops follows international media attention on Lithuania’s wartime evacuation plans, which Vilnius had in place since 2025. Polish Defense Minister also confirmed Warsaw’s readiness to assist with evacuations if necessary.
Separately, Trump announced a U.S. deal to purchase fertilizer from Belarus, which caught Lithuanian officials off guard. Vilnius stated it had no prior knowledge of the agreement and reiterated that existing EU sanctions still ban the transit of Belarusian potash through Lithuania. Lithuanian authorities maintained that Belarus’s behavior has not changed to justify a sanctions review.
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