Lithuania seeks to join nuclear deterrence mechanism against Russia

Lithuanian President Nauseda opens door to western nuclear weapons deployment as a deterrent against Russia.

"We want to be an integral part of this nuclear deterrence," Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda stated at a press conference in Berlin, Germany, on 3/7. He added that he had previously initiated a constitutional amendment to lift existing restrictions on the deployment of nuclear weapons in Lithuania.

Subsequently, a group of 50 Lithuanian parliament members submitted this amendment bill. Amending Lithuania's constitution requires two approvals from at least 94 of the 141 parliament members, with a minimum of three months between the two votes.

Nauseda considers Article 137 of the Lithuanian constitution, which prohibits the deployment of weapons of mass destruction and the establishment of foreign military bases on Lithuanian territory, to be "outdated" and "no longer relevant."

The geopolitical situation is deteriorating. "Our constitution was written when geopolitical circumstances were entirely different," Nauseda said.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda in Berlin, Germany, on 3/7. Photo: AFP

Similarly, Finland's parliament voted in June to lift a complete ban on nuclear weapons, aligning the country with NATO's deterrence policy after joining the alliance in 2023. This bill permits the placement, transport, supply, or storage of nuclear weapons on Finnish territory when necessary for defense purposes.

Lithuania, a NATO and EU member state bordering Belarus and Russia's Kaliningrad exclave, has placed particular emphasis on security and defense since the Russia-Ukraine conflict erupted in 2/2022.

It is one of the highest defense spenders within NATO relative to its economy, allocating over 5% of its gross domestic product (GDP) to defense annually. Lithuania also hosts a NATO multinational battlegroup, which includes a permanent brigade of up to 5,000 German soldiers.