Blinken Says NATO Is Considering More Permanent Troops in Baltics

In Lithuania on Monday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said NATO is considering more permanent troop deployments in the Baltic states as the military alliance is looking to bolster its forces near Russia.

“We’re continuously reviewing within NATO our defense posture, including looking at questions of extending the deployment of forces, looking at questions of more permanent deployments,” Blinken said.

Later in the day, Blinken visited Latvia, where Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics called for a permanent presence of US troops in the country. “Looking at the most recent developments we would be very happy about the permanent presence of US forces here in Latvia,” Rinkevics said at a joint press conference with Blinken.

Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia all joined NATO in 2004, bringing the military alliance right up to Russia’s borders. In recent years, NATO has stepped up its exercises in the Baltic states, and the US has increased its presence in the region.