SECRETARY OF DEFENSE LLOYD J. AUSTIN III: Well, Minister Anušauskas, welcome back to the Pentagon. It's great to see you.
I had a great visit to Vilnius last year for the NATO summit. And you set a high bar for the summit in Washington in July, so we'll strive to meet the standard that you set.
So today we're meeting at a crucial time. Putin's unprovoked war of choice is grinding into its third year, and so I want to thank you for everything that Lithuania has done to stand firm against the Kremlin's imperial assault on Ukraine.
And as we approach Lithuania's Independence Restoration Day, I'm mindful that, not long ago, Lithuanians fought bravely for their own freedom. So the Lithuanian people understand the dangers of aggression and they know that freedom can never be taken for granted.
Let me commend you for Lithuania's robust defense spending and for modernizing the armed forces, including investing in new capabilities and infrastructure to strengthen our allied deterrence and defense posture in the region.
Lithuania has stood shoulder to shoulder with the United States and our allies and partners in support of Ukraine. Lithuania has provided security assistance, training and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, and you've also welcomed more than 77,000 Ukrainian refugees into your country.
So we couldn't ask for a better ally and friend than Lithuania. And I look forward to discussing ways that we can further strengthen trans-Atlantic security and bolster NATO's eastern flank, especially as we prepare for the 75th anniversary NATO summit here in Washington the summer.
I'm grateful for your friendship, Mr. Minister. Thanks again for making the trip, and I look forward to a good discussion.
And, over to you, sir.
DEFENSE MINISTER ARVYDAS ANUŠAUSKAS: Mr. Secretary, thank you for your hosting me at the Pentagon. It is good to be back.
First of all, I am very happy that Sweden is finally joining our allies. This is very good news for NATO and for our region. We entered the third year of Russia's brutal invasion to Ukraine. Ukraine, more than ever, needs us to do more. We must win this war.
Europe's military support to Ukraine is growing and is said to grow more. However, continued United States military aid to Ukraine remains critical. Lithuania is leading the de-mining coalition, training Ukrainian troops, providing military equipment and medical equipment for wounded soldiers. Our total support to Ukraine is more than 1.4 percent of GDP.
Russia is rebuilding its forces and keeps an aggressive stance against NATO. We understand that Article 3 comes before Article 5. We expanded 2.77 percent of GDP for defense, and we will move to 3 percent.
We invest heavily into modernization of our armed forces. More than 20 percent of our new military equipment comes from the United States. We are grateful for your security assistance, as it helps us increase development of our capabilities.
The United States' position to Europe remains critical to deter Russia. We are happy to see persistent U.S. military presence in Lithuania. We are constantly approving host nation support. Soon we will able to offer your troops brand-new military infrastructure.
Mr. Secretary, thank you for your personal support for this rotational deployments. We work with countries in the Indo-Pacific region who are ready to support the United States efforts in this region. Mr. Secretary, thank you for your strong leadership. I look forward to a productive discussion today.
Thank you.
SEC. AUSTIN: Thanks, everybody.