Blinken: US, NATO considering permanent deployments in Baltic

In another move meant to boost NATO military deployment close to Russia's borders, the Baltic states requested the US for permanent troop deployment.

During his official visit to Lithuania on Monday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken alluded to a possible permanent deployment of troops in Baltic states, citing Russia's special military operation in Ukraine as an excuse.

Blinken, who reiterated his country's commitment to NATO's Article 5 -which states that an attack on any NATO member is an attack on all others- calling it "sacrosanct", said that the US is currently reviewing its military presence around the world. The US has deployed more than 7,000 of its forces both to bolster NATO numbers, and to reassure alliance countries.

The US Secretary of State had announced yesterday that an additional 400 US troops would be deployed to Lithuania. Moreover, F-35s were deployed to Lithuania in late February, and arrived in Siauliai airbase, with the two aircraft posted to "secure the skies over Baltic Allies."

Russia had for months been warning of the threat posed against it by NATO's attempts to expand eastward, which happened simultaneously with an increase in NATO military activity along Russia's borders, and batches of lethal equipment being sent to Ukraine. NATO's activities prompted Russia to request security guarantees from the West. Washington failed to provide the guarantees.

After the West did not respond to Russia's demands, and amid Ukrainian shelling on the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, President Vladimir Putin initiated a special military operation in Ukraine.