NATO clarifies remarks on missing US soldiers during Lithuania training

NATO issued a clarification after Secretary-General Mark Rutte appeared to suggest that four US soldiers missing during a training exercise in Lithuania had died—despite no official confirmation from the US Army.

“The search is ongoing,” NATO posted on X, formerly Twitter. “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.”

According to the US Army, the four soldiers from the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division went missing Tuesday during a tactical training exercise at the General Silvestras Žukauskas training ground in Pabradė, a town less than 10 kilometers from the Belarus border. The Hercules armored vehicle they were using was found submerged in a body of water, and recovery efforts are underway in coordination with Lithuanian Armed Forces and civilian agencies.

While speaking in Warsaw, Rutte told reporters he had received information about the incident mid-lecture and extended condolences, suggesting the soldiers had died. “This is still early news so we do not know the details,” he said. “This is really terrible news and our thoughts are with the families and loved ones.”

Later in the day, NATO walked back the implication, emphasizing that the soldiers’ status remains unconfirmed.

Asked by reporters Wednesday evening whether he had been briefed on the situation, President Donald Trump responded, “No, I haven’t.”Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT was among the first to report the disappearance, stating that the soldiers and their vehicle were last seen Tuesday afternoon.

Lithuania, along with Latvia and Estonia, is a NATO member bordering Russia and Belarus. The Baltic nations have maintained strained relations with Moscow since their independence from the Soviet Union in 1990. Tensions escalated further following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda has emerged as one of the most vocal European backers of Ukraine.