Trump Must Consider a Stronger Lithuanian Partnership

As a first-generation American of Lithuanian descent, I have a strong connection to this Baltic country. My parents fled Lithuania in 1985, then under Soviet control, and arrived in America in 1986 for a shot at the American dream.

Like millions of families behind the Iron Curtain, mine faced unimaginable hardship and horrors—especially my maternal grandfather, who survived 18 months in one of Stalin’s gulags. My family’s firsthand experience with socialism compels me to be conservative, and to advocate for freedom and limited-government policies at Independent Women today.

I’m one of nearly 700,000 Americans with roots in Lithuania—a small but mighty nation that has been inextricably linked with the U.S., my birthplace, since 1922. With many overlapping values between our two nations, the Trump administration should strengthen relations with Lithuania.

Lithuania, like the U.S., greatly cherishes freedom—from free expression to entrepreneurship. The Baltic nation was the first of 15 occupied nations to declare its independence from the former Soviet Union. Today, Lithuania respects free speech, is an innovation hub, and is more reliably conservative than Hungary. Even as a European Union (EU) member, it often acts as a bulwark against bureaucracy and is expected to nudge Brussels to pursue deregulation. With respect to free markets, Lithuania could remind us of the benefits of supply-side economics. It currently holds the 16th spot on the Heritage Foundation’s Index of Economic Freedom, while the U.S. sits at the 26th spot.

Like the Trump administration, Lithuania is prioritizing energy independence. Following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Lithuania took decisive steps to cut its dependence on the Kremlin once again, this time on energy imports and electricity.

In 2017, during the first Trump administration, Lithuania became the first former Soviet-occupied nation to accept a shipment of American liquefied natural gas (LNG). Last year, it took full ownership of the Klaipeda LNG terminal, FSRU Independence. Lithuania recognized that dependence on a former occupier is dangerous on many grounds—particularly energy security. That’s why all three Baltic republics fully desynchronized from Russia’s electric grid last month.

Lithuania’s commitment to energy independence parallels current U.S. energy policy. It was recently revealed that the E.U., even with its radical European Green Deal to transition away from fossil fuels, still imported nearly $22 billion dollars worth of Russian oil and gas imports over support for Ukraine (or $19 billion) in 2024. An inconvenient truth for our European friends is this: Net-zero climate policies boost unreliable solar and wind projects that invite continued reliance on Russia. That’s why Lithuania is also looking to reboot nuclear power plants, now with our help.

President Trump, therefore, should tout Lithuania as a good energy partner and pressure the rest of Europe to follow its lead.

 As the Trump administration reorients foreign policy away from Europe to Asia, maintaining relations with China hawks like Lithuania is critical to staving off the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s influence here and abroad.

Lithuania, like the Czech Republic, is a bulwark against the CCP in a continent that is too entangled with Beijing. Lithuania has equally stood up for Taiwan and exited the 17+1 Initiative, while refusing to allow China to invest in the port of Klaipeda.

Laurynas Kasčiūnas, new chairman of Lithuania’s Homeland Union party, told me there are currently no Chinese investments in Lithuania’s strategic assets. Despite facing immense pressure, his country is now surviving without China.

Last summer, I had the opportunity to revisit Lithuania since my first trip 25 years ago. I was in awe of the transformation endured by my ancestral homeland. Lithuania is proudly pro-America; there are even American-themed bars, including one called Uncle Sam’s American Pub, in the capital, Vilnius, as homage to our relationship.

The Trump administration needs more reliable friends it can count on. Lithuania has proven it’s more than capable of meeting this challenge with a commitment to energy independence and political and economic freedom. Perhaps President Trump and his administration can lean on the Lithuanians for guidance and replicate their efforts here in Washington.

Gabriella Hoffman is the director of Independent Women’s Center for Energy and Conservation and a daughter of Lithuanian political refugees. Follow her on X at @Gabby_Hoffman.