US bomber flies over Baltic states to show solidarity: US Air Force

VILNIUS / OSLO (Reuters) – A US elongated long-range bomber flew over the capitals of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia on Wednesday in a show of solidarity with NATO allies, the US Air Force said amid Western concerns over ” a more assertive Russia.

“This mission sends a clear message that our commitment to our NATO allies can be unwavering,” said Gen. Jeff Harrigian, U.S. Air Force Commander of Africa and Air Force in Africa, said in a statement. “We’re in this together.”

Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia were once ruled by Moscow, but are now part of NATO and the European Union.

The three Baltic states have housed NATO and US troops on their soil since Russia seized the Crimean peninsula in 2014 from Ukraine, which is not a NATO member.

The Russian embassy in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The bomber that flew on Wednesday is one of four that were deployed to Norway on February 22 to perform for a few weeks in the strategically important Arctic region.

This is the first time this type of aircraft has been deployed in Norway and was accompanied by about 200 U.S. Air Force personnel.

Norway, a founding member of NATO, shares a border with Russia in the North Pole.

(Reporting by Andrius Sytas in Vilnius and Gwladys Fouche in Oslo; Editing by Gareth Jones)

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