(Refiling to revive phrase “gear” in headline)

By Andrius Sytas

WARSAW (Reuters) – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda stated he urged U.S. President Biden on Wednesday to hunt NATO deployment of further army gear, resembling HIMARS artillery or assault helicopters, within the Baltic states.

Nauseda informed reporters he made the request throughout a gathering in Warsaw between Biden and leaders of nations on NATO’s jap flank, together with Baltic nations Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia.

Biden was silent however took notes as he listened to proposals by Nauseda and others on deploying air defence methods within the Baltics and different jap flank nations, the Lithuanian president stated.

“I’ve talked about deployment of so-called crucial enablers – this contains airspace surveillance methods, assault helicopters, HIMARS artillery,” Nauseda stated. “We will hardly afford to buy this, it but it surely might be deployed (by allies) to the Baltics on rotational grounds.”

Biden met the leaders of the transatlantic army alliance’s “frontline” to point out assist for his or her safety, at some point after getting back from a shock go to to Kyiv and two days earlier than the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“The presence of Biden in Kyiv and Warsaw sends a transparent sign to our folks and to folks in Europe that the U.S. presence goes to be there within the coming years,” Estonian President Alar Karis stated in an interview.

A number of the leaders at Wednesday’s assembly mentioned the prospect that, after a deliberate NATO summit in July in Lithuania’s capital Vilnius, Ukraine could be “a number of steps nearer” to gaining NATO membership, Nauseda stated.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy plans to attend that summit in individual, Ukraine’s ambassador to Lithuania informed native newswire BNS.

“I heard from President Biden a really robust dedication to assist Ukraine, it is clear that Ukraine ought to win” its conflict with Russia, Latvian President Egils Levits stated in an interview.

(This story has been refiled so as to add the phrase “gear” within the headline)