NATO Clarifies Comments on Missing U.S. Soldiers in Lithuania -

Read Time:1 Minute, 46 Second

WARSAW, Poland: NATO issued a clarification on Wednesday after Secretary-General Mark Rutte suggested that four missing U.S. soldiers in Lithuania had died, despite the U.S. Army stating that their fate remained uncertain.

In a statement on X, NATO acknowledged the misunderstanding, explaining that Rutte had been referring to developing news reports rather than confirming any deaths. “The search is ongoing,” the statement read. “We regret any confusion about remarks @SecGenNATO delivered on this today. He was referring to emerging news reports & was not confirming the fate of the missing, which is still unknown.”

Advertisements

The U.S. Army reported that the Hercules armored vehicle carrying the four soldiers was discovered submerged in a body of water. Recovery operations were being conducted by the U.S. Army, Lithuanian Armed Forces, and local emergency teams.

The missing soldiers belong to the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, and were participating in a tactical training exercise when they disappeared.

When asked about the situation on Wednesday evening, President Donald Trump stated, “No, I haven’t,” indicating he had not yet been briefed on the missing soldiers.

Rutte, who was in Warsaw at the time, said he received news of the incident while delivering a lecture. “This is still early news, so we do not know the details,” he told reporters. “This is really terrible news, and our thoughts are with the families and loved ones.”

Advertisements

According to Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT, the soldiers and their vehicle went missing on Tuesday afternoon during an exercise at the General Silvestras Žukauskas training ground in Pabradė, a town located less than 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the Belarusian border.

Lithuania, along with Latvia and Estonia, is a NATO member and has had tense relations with Russia, a close ally of Belarus, since gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1990. Tensions escalated further following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda has been a vocal supporter of Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression.

Search and recovery efforts for the missing soldiers continue.

For more news, subscribe to questiqa.us