The Kremlin said that Lithuania’s possible removal of its constitutional ban on the deployment of nuclear weapons would amount to a “very serious escalation” and that the country would come under the targeting of Russian nuclear weapons.
Russian media reported this, citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
According to him, if Lithuania ultimately adopts the decision, Moscow would regard it as a sharp escalation of the situation.
“If nuclear weapons aimed at Russia are deployed in Lithuania, the territory of that country will be under the targeting of Russian nuclear weapons,” Peskov said.
As LRT reported, the Lithuanian Seimas Committee on Legal Affairs and Law Enforcement backed a proposal the previous day to remove from the Constitution a provision banning the deployment of nuclear weapons in the country. Seven committee members voted in favor and two against.
Article 137 of Lithuania’s Constitution currently states that weapons of mass destruction and military bases of foreign states may not be located on the country’s territory.
Seimas Speaker Juozas Olekas said the provision no longer reflects the current geopolitical situation. According to him, nuclear weapons are of the greatest importance for deterrence, while Lithuania, with such a constitutional restriction, “looks like a white crow in the NATO context.”
Lithuanian Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas also said that the existing ban significantly affects the security of the entire region. He noted that without such a constitutional restriction, allies, with the consent of Lithuania and the region, could, among other things, fly over the country’s territory to demonstrate NATO’s capabilities.
Parliament decided to begin considering the change in early July. At that time, 89 lawmakers voted in favor of the amendments, 11 voted against and six abstained.
To amend the Constitution, at least 94 of the Seimas’ 141 members must vote in favor twice, with a three-month interval between the votes.
The discussions are also linked to French President Emmanuel Macron’s idea of creating a new European nuclear deterrence arrangement under which partner countries could temporarily host French strategic air forces carrying nuclear weapons. In June, the Financial Times also reported that the United States was considering deploying nuclear weapons in several additional NATO countries in Europe.
