President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he has not been briefed on the four U.S. Army soldiers missing in Lithuania after their vehicle was reportedly found submerged in water.
A vehicle carrying the four service members went missing on Wednesday during a training exercise in Pabradė, about 10 miles from Belarus, a Russian client state. In a statement, the U.S. Army revealed that the vehicle had been discovered submerged in water, but said the search for the soldiers was underway.
According to an earlier report, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte told reporters that the soldiers had been killed, but did not offer details. A NATO spokesperson later clarified to say Rutte was reacting to reports of the submerged vehicle and stated that “the details remained unconfirmed.”
A search for missing soldiers is ongoing as of Wednesday evening.
Speaking with reporters in the Oval Office after announcing a 25% tariff on automobile imports, Trump was asked about the missing Americans.
“Mr. President, have you been briefed about the soldiers in Lithuania, who are missing?” a reporter asked.
“No, I haven’t,” Trump replied before fielding a question about the tariffs.
The disappearances come at a fraught time for the U.S. and Eastern Europe, where Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is ongoing. On Tuesday, the White House announced a tenuous ceasefire agreement between the warring nations in the Black Sea, though The Wall Street Journal noted, the deal essentially maintains
“The U.S. said it had agreed with Russia to ensure safe navigation, eliminate the use of force and prevent the use of commercial vessels for military purposes in the Black Sea,” it reported on Wednesday. “That is effectively the status quo in the Black Sea, where Ukraine has largely secured navigation by driving back Russia’s fleet and has been careful to avoid hitting Russian commercial ships.”
Trump also took questions about the stunning security leak in which National Security Advisor Mike Waltz accidentally added Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic to a group chat discussing airstrikes in Yemen.
Watch above via Fox News.