Lithuania takes further step towards lifting nuclear weapons ban

Key Points:

• Lithuania's parliament voted 106-18 to advance a constitutional amendment removing the ban on nuclear weapons and foreign military bases on its territory, aligning its legal stance with other NATO allies; a final vote is expected in January.
• The amendment aims to enable Lithuania to fully participate in NATO's nuclear deterrence planning and exercises, addressing current constitutional restrictions that prevent allied nuclear-capable forces from operating on Lithuanian soil.
• The move responds to increased Russian nuclear threats and deployments near Lithuania, particularly in Kaliningrad and Belarus, with Lithuanian officials emphasizing the need for equal protection within NATO compared to neighbors like Latvia, Estonia, and Poland.
• Russia warned that Lithuania’s decision and NATO’s expanding military infrastructure in the region could escalate tensions, amid Moscow’s heightened nuclear rhetoric towards NATO and its neighbors.
• Finland has recently made a similar legal change after joining NATO in 2023, removing its ban on nuclear explosives to fulfill alliance obligations, though it does not intend to host nuclear weapons; Finland also joined a French-led initiative promoting closer European cooperation on nuclear deterrence.