The American authorities intend to maintain a military presence of US troops on the territory of the Baltic states. This was stated by the head of the Pentagon, Lloyd Austin, during a meeting with his Latvian counterpart, Andris Sprūds, in the United States, according to TASS.
“Latvia <...> welcomes NATO forces. And we will continue to maintain a sustainable rotational presence of American forces in the Baltic states,” said the American defense minister.
According to him, Washington remains committed to the defense of the Baltic countries. He reminded of the obligations of Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which has been enshrining the “principle of collective defense” for 75 years now. The document provides for a response in the event of “armed attack on one or more” NATO member countries.
According to Pentagon press secretary Patrick Ryder, the ministers also discussed “ways to strengthen” NATO’s deterrence and defense capabilities. The discussion also focused on the need to expand the production capacity of Western defense industries to support Ukraine.
In early March, signs of “wear and tear” were noticed in the relations between the US and Ukraine.
Earlier, the Pentagon revealed the amount of weapons supplied to Ukraine since the start of the special operation.
