Lithuania says it has prepared response to Trump’s loyalty questionnaire

Lithuania has prepared its response to a US questionnaire sent to NATO allies seeking to assess their support for President Donald Trump’s foreign policy, the country’s Defence Ministry said Thursday.

Darius Jauniškis, Lithuania’s ambassador to NATO, previously told LRT that the response had been prepared and would “really please” Washington.

“As far as I know, the response is ready, and I suspect it will really please them,” Jauniškis said.

The Defenve Ministry declined to disclose details of the correspondence, saying the exchange with the United States was bilateral and its contents were not public.

“Lithuania is constantly assessed as an exemplary ally, not only because of the high level of service and living conditions provided to allied troops, but also because of the responsibility it assumes for the security of Lithuania and the entire NATO alliance,” Edvinas Česnulis, a spokesman for Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas, said.

The questionnaire, recently sent to NATO members and seen by Bloomberg News, asks allies several questions intended to assess their support for Trump’s approach.

Among other things, Washington asks whether a country has publicly supported US foreign policy, what restrictions it has imposed on US forces using its military bases, and whether it spends money on US defence contractors.

Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter, reported that the initiative had drawn a strongly negative reaction from some allies. They viewed it as an attempt to compel countries to demonstrate ideological loyalty in exchange for US protection.

The questionnaire comes after the Trump administration began reviewing the US military presence in Europe. Washington is expected to significantly reduce its troop presence and military equipment in the region by December, according to Bloomberg.

The effort to link US commitments to NATO allies with ideological loyalty could fundamentally alter transatlantic relations, Bloomberg reported.