Budrys in Washington, D.C.: The basis of the strategic partnership between Lithuania and the U.S. is to ensure security through concrete actions rather than promises

Lithuania's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kęstutis Budrys, is on a working visit to the United States of America. Today, the head of Lithuania's diplomacy met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington, D.C.

During the meeting, key issues of strategic cooperation between Lithuania and the U.S. were discussed in detail, including transatlantic and regional security, the importance of U.S. forces in Europe, joint responses to hybrid threats, cooperation within NATO, defense, energy, and consistent support for Ukraine, as well as the implementation and coordination of sanctions.

"The cornerstone of the strategic partnership between Lithuania and the U.S. is to ensure security through concrete actions rather than promises. Lithuania is not a consumer of security, but a capable, reliable ally. Lithuania will become the NATO ally that will have spent the most (5.38% of GDP on defense by 2026, and by the end of 2025, the entire Alliance will exceed the critical 2% threshold and increase spending at an unprecedented rate. This tectonic breakthrough would not have happened without the U.S. leadership and a full strategic understanding that the threats posed by Russia are long-term and countering them is not only a matter for the eastern flank states, but for the Alliance as a whole. The next important step is to fully end Europe's energy dependence on Russia. US sanctions on the Russian energy sector and calls on European partners to stop buying Russian oil and gas are a significant step forward," the Minister said.

During the conversation, Budrys emphasized that the U.S. forces in Europe and Lithuania remain an indispensable instrument for deterring Russian aggression. According to the minister, Lithuania provides the best living and training conditions for the soldiers of the US forward forces battalion deployed in Lithuania, which significantly contributes to strengthening their combat readiness. K. Budrys assured that Lithuania's continued efforts to ensure the maximum host nation support package is a priority for Lithuania.

Budrys expressed his gratitude to the U.S. administration for its solidarity with Lithuania and principled response to airspace violations and hybrid threats escalated by the Russian and Belarusian regimes. According to Budrys, authoritarian regimes in NATO's neighborhood continue to test the limits of the Alliance, so a united response and strong deterrence are absolutely necessary to prevent this. Minister emphasized the need for the U.S. and Europe to continue coordination on sanctions against Russia and Belarus in order to curb the irresponsible actions of authoritarian regimes.

Budrys and Rubio also discussed the pursuit of lasting and sustainable peace in Ukraine. The Minister stressed that it was clear that Putin's goals were not changing - he did not seek peace and sought to continue the war. According to Budrys, it is important to ensure uninterrupted military and financial support for Ukraine while continuing to exert pressure on Russia by all means, eroding Russia's ability to pursue the war.

At the meeting, the Minister emphasized the positive dynamics of bilateral cooperation between the United States and Lithuania in the fields of energy and defense. Budrys noted that the U.S. was one of Lithuania's most important defense acquisition partners, with more than a fifth of Lithuania's defense acquisitions coming from the U.S. The Minister underlined that Lithuania had completely stopped purchasing Russian gas and oil since 2022 and is ensuring its needs by producing its own energy and purchasing gas and oil from its allies, mainly from the U.S.

Budrys was one of the first Ministers to speak byon the phone with the Secretary of State when he took office, and together with the ministers of the Baltic states, he met with M. Rubio in March during his last visit to Washington.

Photo: U.S. Department of State