Blinken: US to send over 400 troops to Lithuania
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The deployment is part of the continuation of the rotation of the heavy 3-66 armor battalion in Lithuania,
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Last month, armed US F-35 military aircraft landed at the airbase of the Lithuanian Army Air Force
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Monday that an additional 400 troops will deploy to Lithuania from the US.
Last month, armed US F-35 military aircraft landed at the airbase of the Lithuanian Army Air Force in Siauliai, where additional US military forces are deployed.
NATO had ordered its military commanders to intensify preparations to defend allied territory following the Russian military operation, putting hundreds of its aircraft and naval vessels on alert and agreeing to increase the presence of its troops in Eastern Europe.
The United States had already declared its intention to send more US troops present in Europe more eastward, CNN reports said.
Blinken told reporters during his visit to Lithuania that "An additional 400 personnel from the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team will be arriving in Lithuania in the days to come."
Days ago, Blinken assured that NATO will defend all its allies and territories from any Russian "attack."
Russia is calling on NATO and European Union member states to stop providing weapons and lethal arms to Kiev amid Moscow's special military operation in Ukraine.
The reason behind the call, as cited by the Russian foreign ministry on Saturday, is the fact that the arms supplies to Kiev pose a threat to civilian aviation in the region.
Despite the heavy western support, the Russian defense ministry made a tally of all Ukrainian losses, which reflect the damage inflicted on Kiev, as the Russian army demolished over 2,203 military facilities, as per ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov.
