Lithuania Backs Constitutional Change to Allow Nuclear Weapons

Lithuania Moves to Lift Ban on Nuclear Weapons

00:39 07-10-2026

Lithuania’s parliament backed a constitutional amendment to lift the nuclear weapons ban, with a final vote planned after a three-month interval.

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Lithuania’s Seimas has approved at first reading a constitutional amendment that would remove the ban on stationing nuclear weapons in the country, LRT reported.

The proposal must now pass a second and final vote, which can take place only after a three-month interval. To be adopted, the amendment will again need the support of at least 94 of the 141 lawmakers. Parliament Speaker Juozas Olekas said the final vote is scheduled for January 12 next year.

Olekas said Lithuania could secure stronger support for the measure and argued that removing the legal exceptions that distinguish the country from other EU and NATO members would put it on an equal footing with them.

Lithuanian Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas also said Vilnius should have access to every possible instrument needed to ensure national security. He pointed to Belarus and Russia’s Kaliningrad Region, where strategic weapons are deployed, and described the proposed change as a response to the actions of neighboring countries.

In June, Kaunas said Vilnius was holding talks with Washington over the possible deployment of US nuclear weapons on Lithuanian territory.

The Financial Times has also reported that the United States is discussing the possible deployment of nuclear warheads and bombers in additional European NATO countries.