The Kremlin: Lithuania's plans regarding nuclear weapons are a step towards escalation

Peskov explained in a press briefing that canceling the ban on the deployment of nuclear weapons and establishing a US military base in Lithuania will not contribute to stabilizing the situation or enhancing the ability to predict its developments on the European continent.

He added that the military base is part of the military infrastructure, stressing that the proximity of the military infrastructure of one of the main countries in NATO to the Russian border can only be viewed as a step towards escalating tension, as well as the deployment of nuclear weapons on the territory of a neighboring country.

The Lithuanian Radio and Television Corporation (LRT) reported, citing the Speaker of the Lithuanian Parliament, Južas Uliakas, that the country's government plans at the beginning of 2027 to abolish a clause of the constitution prohibiting the presence of weapons of mass destruction on its territory.

Peskov stressed that Russia will have to take all necessary measures to ensure its security against the backdrop of Lithuania's plans to lift the ban on the spread of nuclear weapons.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova previously announced that Russia will respond appropriately if Lithuania takes a decision regarding the possibility of deploying nuclear weapons on its territory.