Vice-Minister Plepytė met with a delegation of U.S. congressional advisors

On 2 April in Vilnius, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Audra Plepytė met with a delegation of senior advisors to members of the United States Congress, representing both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

The meeting focused on bilateral cooperation between Lithuania and the United States in the areas of security and defense, the economy, and energy; the security situation in Lithuania, the region, and the world; and continued U.S. support for the Baltic states. Hybrid threats, U.S. efforts to achieve peace in Ukraine, and continued support for Ukraine, as well as the tightening of sanctions against Russia, were also discussed.

Vice-Minister Plepytė thanked the U.S. congressional representatives for their consistent support for the security of Lithuania and the Baltic states, emphasizing the importance of the U.S. military deployment in Lithuania and the Baltic Security Initiative, for which Congress recently allocated $200 million in funding. The Vice-Minister also emphasized that Lithuania remains a reliable and responsible NATO ally, consistently strengthening its national defense capabilities.

"A strong transatlantic relationship is one of the top priorities of Lithuania's foreign and security policy. U.S. troops stationed in Lithuania are a cornerstone of deterrence in the Baltic region. We are grateful to the U.S. Congress for its consistent political and financial support, which plays a crucial role in the security of our region," noted Plepytė.

The delegation of advisers to the United States Congress is visiting Lithuania from April 2 to 4. The purpose of the visit is to familiarize themselves with the security situation in the region and to strengthen bilateral strategic cooperation with the United States. Such visits are held twice a year.

During the visit to Lithuania, the delegation will also meet with members of the Seimas Committees on Foreign Affairs and National Security and Defense, representatives of the Group for Inter-Parliamentary Relations with the United States of America, and of the Office of the President, the Ministry of National Defense, and the National Crisis Management Center. The delegation will visit the Pabradė Training Area, where they will meet with stationed U.S. troops and tour the newly opened military infrastructure.