Lithuanian Prime Minister Gintautas Palutskas has offered the administration of US President Donald Trump to cooperate in the defense industry.

He stated this during a press conference on Thursday, February 20, LRT reports.

The Head of the Lithuanian government believes that amid claims that the United States wants the European Union to buy more American weapons, its production can be established in the Baltic states.

According to him, Lithuania and other Baltic states would be ready to jointly invest in developing the defense industry with the United States in the region.

“As for acquisitions, we have a proposal for the United States. Let’s work together in the defense industry. Open factories here. We are ready to invest in the defense industry together and guarantee that some of it will be immediately purchased for defense purposes, and some of it can be exported,” Palutskas noted.

Earlier in February, Reuters reported, citing its own sources, that the Trump administration plans to push European countries to buy more American weapons for Ukraine.

According to the publication’s interlocutors, this is one of several ideas that have been discussed to potentially continue supplying weapons to Kyiv without spending significant US budget funds.

Processes in Latvia

The Lithuanian Ministry of Defense recently announced the creation of clusters in strategically important areas of the defense industry to ensure independence from foreign suppliers.

One of the initiative’s priorities is to establish a full cycle of explosives and ammunition production, guaranteeing an uninterrupted supply of critical ammunition for the Lithuanian army and allies.

At the same time, capabilities in the field of unmanned technologies and weapons maintenance will be expanded, which will allow for a quick response to possible threats.

Creating such clusters will allow Lithuania to respond more quickly to security challenges and reduce logistical risks.

According to the Ministry, the development of the defense industry is a strategic priority for the country.