Lithuania votes to lift nuclear-arms ban in first of two ballots; Kremlin warns of escalation

Lithuania’s parliament voted on Tuesday in favour of removing the constitutional ban on hosting nuclear weapons on its territory, in the first of two ballots required for the change, Reuters reported (https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/kremlin-warns-lithuania-that-its-move-lift-nuclear-arms-ban-risks-further-2026-10-06/).

The Kremlin warned that the preliminary decision by the NATO member could lead to “a new round of escalation in the region.” Asked by reporters about the vote, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “Neither of these developments will contribute to stability and predictability on the European continent; on the contrary, they will, much to our regret, mark yet another significant escalation of tensions.”

Peskov was also asked about a proposal floated this month by US President Donald Trump to build an American military base in Lithuania. “If the military infrastructure of what is, in effect, NATO’s leading country (the US) is moving closer to our borders, then, of course, this cannot be perceived as anything other than a step towards escalating tensions,” he said.

The legal overhaul targets Article 137 of the Constitution, which bars the deployment of weapons of mass destruction and foreign military bases — restrictions put in place more than three decades ago after Lithuania broke away from the Soviet Union. The amendment requires a two-thirds majority in two parliamentary votes; the first adoption vote was held Tuesday and the second is scheduled for January 12, 2027 (https://caliber.az/en/post/lithuania-moves-to-lift-ban-on-nuclear-weapons-deployment).

An earlier consideration stage passed on September 22 with 99 votes in favour, 13 against and five abstentions, and the change must secure at least 94 of the 141 MPs. President Gitanas Nauseda supports lifting the ban; Lithuanian officials have said there are no immediate plans to store nuclear weapons on its territory and the country will remain a party to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Lithuania is a member of the EU and NATO, bordering Russia and Moscow’s close ally Belarus. The US has kept an armoured battalion of almost 1,000 troops there since 2019, in overlapping rotations.