Lithuania takes further step towards lifting nuclear weapons ban

Lithuania has taken a step towards removing a constitutional ban on nuclear weapons from its territory, bringing the Baltic state closer to the legal position of its neighbours as European allies debate how to strengthen NATO’s deterrence in the face of Russia.

The Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas, voted 106-18, with six abstentions, on Tuesday to advance a constitutional amendment removing a provision that bars weapons of mass destruction and foreign military bases from Lithuanian territory.

The change still requires a second vote after a constitutionally mandated three-month waiting period. At least 94 of the Seimas’ 141 members must back it on both occasions. The final vote is expected on January 12.

“This constitutional amendment would enable Lithuania’s armed forces to participate fully in the planning and exercises of all of NATO’s deterrence measures,” said Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, leader of the Liberal Movement parliamentary group.

Currently, Article 137 of the Lithuanian Constitution stipulates that weapons of mass destruction and military bases of foreign states may not be located in Lithuania, which borders Belarus and Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave. This means that under current laws, allied aircraft or ships carrying nuclear weapons could not enter Lithuanian territory for deterrence purposes.

Added urgency in Lithuania’s case

Supporters of the amendment argue that the constitutional provision has become a legal obstacle to Lithuania’s full participation in NATO’s nuclear deterrence arrangements and leaves the country at a disadvantage compared with other NATO allies.

“Our neighbouring countries, such as Latvia, Estonia and Poland, have no such restrictions either,” Remigijus Motuzas, chairman of the Seimas Foreign Affairs Committee, said during a parliamentary session in September. “We cannot be less protected than other NATO countries. We must send a signal that Lithuania is a full part of NATO’s nuclear deterrence.”

NATO describes nuclear deterrence as part of its collective defence, alongside conventional and missile-defence capabilities. The Alliance also says its nuclear policy remains consistent with its commitments to arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation.

For Lithuania, the issue has taken on added urgency. “NATO deterrence, including nuclear deterrence, is part of collective defence,” Motuzas said, adding that Russia has rapidly modernised its nuclear arsenal in recent years and deployed nuclear weapons close to Lithuania — in Kaliningrad and Belarus.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that Lithuania’s move, alongside broader plans to expand US and NATO military infrastructure in the region, risked further escalating tensions, Reuters reported.

The warnings come as Russia has stepped up its nuclear rhetoric towards NATO. Moscow recently threatened nuclear retaliation in the event of what it described as attempts to isolate its Kaliningrad exclave, which borders Lithuania and Poland.

Finland has already made the move

Lithuania is not acting in isolation.

Finland, which joined NATO in 2023 after decades of military non-alignment, removed its own statutory prohibition on nuclear weapons earlier this year, citing the need to ensure that Finnish law did not restrict the country’s ability to fulfil its obligations as a NATO ally.

In June, the Finnish parliament approved amendments to the Nuclear Energy Act repealing the country’s ban on nuclear explosives. The legislation entered into force on July 1.

“This historic reform strengthens the security of Finland and of NATO as a whole,” Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen said on X.

Helsinki has stressed, however, that the change does not mean Finland intends to acquire or host nuclear weapons, and that NATO has no plans to station them there.

Finland has since joined a French-led initiative aimed at strengthening European security through closer cooperation on nuclear deterrence. French President Emmanuel Macron has proposed what Paris calls “forward deterrence” — closer cooperation with European allies around France’s independent nuclear capabilities.

The United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Denmark, and Norway have already signed up to France’s initiative.

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