US army soldiers missing in Lithuania: Vehicle found underwater but 'search ongoing'
President hosts NATO secretary-general at White House
President Donald Trump hosted NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the White House March 14 amid ongoing ceasefires between Russia and Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly agreed in principle to the ceasefire just moments before the Oval Office remarks.
The search for four U.S. Army soldiers who went missing while training in Lithuania continues after the armed vehicle they were traveling in was found submerged in a body of water.
NATO on Wednesday clarified comments that Secretary-General Mark Rutte made earlier in the day, when he suggested that the soldiers had died, even though the U.S. Army said their fate was not yet confirmed.
What happened to the U.S. soldiers in Lithuania?
What we know:
The soldiers, all from 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, were conducting tactical training when they went missing.
FILE - A soldier, a Boeing CH-47 Chinook military transport helicopter and Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopters of the U.S. Army 12th Combat Aviation Brigade participate in the Allied Spirit 25 military exercise at the U.S. 7th Army Training Comman
Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT reported that the four U.S. soldiers and their vehicle were reported missing Tuesday afternoon during an exercise at the General Silvestras Žukauskas training ground in Pabradė, a town located less than 6 miles from the border with Belarus.
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What we don't know:
The soldiers’ deaths have not been confirmed, despite earlier comments from NATO’s secretary-general offering condolences for their deaths.
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What they’re saying: "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."
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NATO training in Lithuania
Big picture view:
The Baltic countries of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are all NATO members and have often had chilly ties with Russia, a key ally of Belarus, since declaring independence from the Soviet Union in 1990.
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Relations soured further over Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda has been one of the most outspoken supporters of Ukraine in its fight against Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces.
The Source: This report includes information from The Associated Press.