Press Release
☷Secretary of Defense Lloyd J Austin III Remarks Welcoming Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anušauskas to the Pentagon
U.S. Department of Defense ( By Press Release office)
Mar 15,2024
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SECRETARY OF DEFENSE LLOYD J . AUSTIN III: Hey Minister Anušauskas , welcome back to the Pentagon . It ' s great to see you . I had an awesome time in Vilnius last year for the NATO summit . And you really set the bar high for the summit in Washington in July , so we ' ll do our best to meet that standard . Today , we ' re meeting at a really important time . Putin ' s war in Ukraine has been going on for three years now , and I just want to thank Lithuania for standing strong against Russia ' s aggression . As we approach Lithuania ' s Independence Restoration Day , it ' s a reminder that freedom should never be taken for granted . I want to commend you for Lithuania ' s strong defense spending and efforts to modernize your armed forces . You ' ve been a great ally and friend to the United States and our partners , especially in your support for Ukraine . So , thanks again for coming , and I ' m looking forward to our discussion . Now , over to you , sir . DEFENSE MINISTER ARVYDAS ANUŠAUSKAS: Mr . Secretary , thanks for having me at the Pentagon . It ' s good to be back . First of all , I ' m really happy that Sweden is joining our allies . This is great news for NATO and our region . We ' re now entering the third year of Russia ' s invasion of Ukraine , and Ukraine needs our support more than ever . Europe ' s military assistance to Ukraine is increasing , but continued U . S . aid is crucial . Lithuania has been leading the way with our support , from training Ukrainian troops to providing equipment and medical aid . Our total support to Ukraine is more than 1 . 4 percent of GDP . Russia is still a threat and remains aggressive towards NATO , so we understand the importance of investing in our defense . We ' re increasing our defense spending to 3 percent of GDP and heavily investing in modernizing our armed forces , with more than 20 percent of our new equipment coming from the United States . SEC . AUSTIN: Thanks , everyone . We really appreciate your security help , it ' s been a big help in improving our capabilities . The US presence in Europe is crucial for keeping Russia in check . It ' s great to see US troops in Lithuania and we ' re always working on getting more support . We ' re working on getting new military infrastructure for your troops soon . Thanks for your support , Mr . Secretary . We ' re also collaborating with countries in the Indo - Pacific region who want to help the US . Thanks for your leadership , Mr . Secretary . I ' m looking forward to our discussion today . Thank you .
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