This week, reports confirmed that President Obama has sent U.S. Special Operations Troops to the Russian border to assist NATO allies against feared Russian aggression. NATO members along the border have accused their neighbor of “aggressive military posturing” as Russia has reportedly deployed anti-ship missiles in the Russian city of Kaliningrad. Fears of Putin planning for an annexation of these tiny former-Soviet Union territories has implored the Obama administration to send troops to the border to keep an eye on Moscow aggression. Lithuania has confirmed that the United States is currently present in the region.

The Lithuanian Defense Ministry spokeswoman, Asta Galdikaite, stated that the United States “was the first to offer additional safety assurance measures to the Baltic countries following the deterioration of the security situation in the region after the annexation of the Crimea.” She added that the “U.S. Special Operations Forces presence in Lithuania is one of the deterrents” against Russian aggression, according to the Express.

On Sunday, the New York Times reported that U.S. military chief General Raymond T. Thomas said that the tiny militaries of these nations are “scared to death” of Russia and added that “they’re desperate” for American leadership. According to the Times, the U.S. and its NATO allies will send battalions of up to 1,200 to each of the Baltic states, as well as to Poland by the spring.

Linas Linkevicius, Lithuania’s foreign minister, has stated that Russia’s activity in the region is terrifying and called it “military hooliganism.”

“Iskander missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads have been deployed. There are S-400 missiles and modernized jets,”Linkevicious said.

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“Russia likes to create problems, conflict and then suggest some ideas how to mitigate, how to mediate – and some of our colleagues say ‘look they are cooperating’,” he added.

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