Литва і східний фланг — Сполучені Штати і східний фланг

Стислий виклад

The United States and Lithuania signed a Defense Cooperation Agreement in Vilnius on 17 January 2017; it entered into force on 27 February 2017. It sets the legal terms for the presence and activities of US forces in Lithuania, supplementing the NATO status-of-forces arrangements. In 2026 Lithuania asked for more: its defence minister said in October that a proposal for a permanent US base had gone to the Pentagon about two weeks earlier, and on 6 October the Seimas passed the first of two votes to delete Article 137 of the Constitution, which bars foreign military bases, with the final vote set for 12 January 2027. The US president said the United States would "certainly look at it". No US decision has been published, and the US battalions Lithuania announced in September had not been found arriving by 25 October.

Чому це важливо

The agreement is the legal basis for a US presence that is bilateral rather than part of the German-led NATO brigade. Lithuania's request turns on whether that presence becomes permanent, which is a US decision this record watches for and does not anticipate.

Угоди

• US-Lithuania Defense Cooperation Agreement · підписано 2017-01-17

  Signed in Vilnius; in force 27 February 2017.

Що залишається невідомим

• No US basing or posture decision on Lithuania's 2026 request has been published; a presidential remark is not a posture change.
• The deletion of Article 137 is not final until the second vote, and supporters say any deployment would need separate legislation.
• Agreed facilities are not enumerated, and no US presence in Lithuania is recorded on the strength of the agreement; access is not stationing.