Russia has warned Lithuania that hosting nuclear weapons belonging to NATO allies could make the Baltic nation a target for Russian nuclear weapons.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described Lithuania’s plan to remove its constitutional ban on storing nuclear weapons as a serious escalation.
“If there are nuclear weapons on the territory that are aimed at us, accordingly, the territory of that country will fall into the crosshairs of our own nuclear weapons,” Peskov said.
Lithuania’s parliament is considering the proposed constitutional amendment, which requires a two-thirds majority to pass.
The move has reportedly received backing from President Gitanas Nauseda and major political parties and could take effect during the winter.
Nauseda announced the initiative in July, saying Lithuania wanted to become an “integral part of this nuclear deterrence.”
Lithuania, a NATO member bordering Russia and Belarus, says strengthening its defence posture is necessary because of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
The proposed change could remove a legal obstacle to hosting nuclear weapons and potentially allow Lithuania to participate more directly in NATO’s nuclear deterrence arrangements.
Moscow, however, sees any deployment of nuclear weapons closer to Russian territory as a major security threat.
The warning adds to already strained relations between Russia and Lithuania and highlights growing tensions along NATO’s eastern flank.
The constitutional amendment must still be approved by Lithuania’s parliament, meaning its final implementation remains uncertain.
If approved and followed by the deployment of NATO nuclear weapons, the move could further intensify the security confrontation between Moscow and the alliance.
