Lithuania Plans Constitutional Amendment to Allow Nuclear Weapon Deployment

VILNIUS, September 10. /TASS/. The Seimas (parliament) of Lithuania plans to adopt a constitutional amendment in early 2027 to remove the provision prohibiting the deployment of nuclear weapons on the country’s territory, the LRT television channel reported, citing Parliament Speaker Juozas Olekas.

The speaker explained that in order to "adopt this specific article of the Constitution," it will be necessary to extend the fall parliamentary session slightly – possibly until January 13, 2027. According to Olekas, because of this constitutional restriction, Lithuania "stands out like a sore thumb in the context of NATO."

In July, the Lithuanian Seimas agreed to consider a bill initiated by President Gitanas Nauseda to lift the ban on the deployment of nuclear weapons. The bill provides for the removal of Article 137 from the country’s constitution, which prohibits the deployment of weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons, on Lithuanian territory.

The Seimas must vote on the constitutional amendment twice, with a three-month interval between votes. The amendment must be supported by a qualified majority – 94 lawmakers out of 141.

As Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov stated earlier, the desire of the Baltic states, including Lithuania, to station nuclear weapons on their territory will in no way make the region safer. On the contrary, Peskov emphasized, such a decision would force Russia to take countermeasures to ensure its own security.