The chief advisor to the President of Lithuania on national security, Deividas Matulionis, expressed hope that in considering the issue of troop deployment in Europe, Washington heard about Lithuania's readiness to assist the country in the Middle East following the U.S. attack on Iran.
He reacted to a report in The Wall Street Journal, which stated that the Trump administration is considering a plan to withdraw American troops from NATO countries that are deemed to have not assisted the U.S. in the Middle East, and to relocate them to countries more loyal to the U.S., including Poland, Romania, Lithuania, and Greece.
"I think so, yes. That is the essence of it. The fact that when Americans need help, support, if we respond positively and consider it — that is the main message that Americans are waiting for," Matulionis said in an interview with Ziniu radijas on Thursday.
"We cannot say: 'You are sending troops to us, and when you have problems, we respond: 'No.' The principle of mutual movement applies here," he added.
The BNS news agency reported that since the beginning of the U.S. war with Iran, Lithuanian officials have publicly stated that the decision of the Americans to strike this Middle Eastern country was understandable, and that they would consider requests for assistance if any were made.
Matulionis stated that Lithuania has made it clear to the U.S. that "we view this issue with solidarity and are indeed ready, to the best of our abilities, to consider providing such assistance if America needs it."
However, the advisor insisted that he had not received any specific information from the Americans regarding the consideration of deploying additional troops in Lithuania.
"If the Americans really took the initiative and increased the number of American troops in Lithuania, it would be one of the most significant achievements in recent times," he said.
In Lithuania, more than a thousand American servicemen are stationed on a rotational basis.
The Wall Street Journal prepared this publication based on information from sources; the White House has not yet commented on it.
The article appeared at a time when NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte was in Washington, where he met with Trump.
