Russia-Ukraine war: Lithuania supports lifting ban on nuclear weapons

The Kremlin warned Tuesday that Lithuanian lawmakers’ preliminary decision to lift a constitutional ban on harboring nuclear weapons and the potential deployment of a NATO military base in the country would mark “another significant escalation” in regional tensions.

The comments come shortly after the Lithuanian parliament voted in favor of a constitutional change on the deployment of nuclear weapons on its territory. This is the first of two ballots required for the change, with the last scheduled for January 12 next year.

The country, which is a member of both the European Union and NATO and shares a border with the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea, is seeking to lift the constitutional ban to strengthen its resilience in the face of growing security concerns.

Lithuania has been one of Ukraine’s staunchest allies during the more than four-and-a-half-year conflict between Russian President Vladimir Putin and kyiv, providing considerable military equipment and financial support.

President Donald Trump, meanwhile, said he would consider Lithuania’s request to establish a permanent US military base in the country. “They’re friends of mine. They’re great people, so we’ll definitely think about it,” Trump said Monday.

Asked about the developments, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday that they “cannot be seen as anything other than a step toward escalating tensions, just as the deployment of nuclear weapons in a neighboring country cannot do that,” according to Russia’s official Tass news agency.

“None of these developments will contribute to stability and predictability on the European continent. On the contrary, they will, to our regret, mark a further significant escalation of tensions. As for Russia, of course, Moscow will be obliged to take all necessary measures to guarantee its own security,” Peskov said.