U.S., Lithuania to beef up defense ties amid Russia, China pressure

The United States and Lithuania on Monday agreed to beef up their defense ties by facilitating arms acquisitions, as the European country faces growing pressure from what it views as the authoritarian governments of Russia and China.Calling Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping "dictators," Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas told his U.S. counterpart Lloyd Austin near Washington, "We shall not shy away from answering these threats with strength."Lithuania has been feeling threatened by Russia, whose military buildup near the Ukraine border has trigger…READ FULL ARTICLE