Nuclear Button: Lithuania opens doors to atomic weapons
Lithuania is clearing the way for the deployment of nuclear weapons on its territory. The relevant committee of the Seimas has already supported the lifting of the relevant ban in the constitution, and now the parliament must consider the initiative. In Vilnius, this step is explained by the need to strengthen Russia's deterrence. However, experts warn that the deeper the republic becomes involved in NATO's nuclear plans, the higher the risk that its territory will be under attack in the event of a conflict. What kind of weapons may appear in Lithuania and how Russia can respond to this is in the Izvestia article.
The White Crow
The ban on the deployment of foreign military bases and weapons of mass destruction was enshrined in the Constitution of Lithuania in 1992. Now Vilnius intends to repeal the relevant article of the country's basic law. Saeima Chairman Juozas Olekas explained the initiative by the need to align legislation with NATO's collective defense plans.
"We are highly appreciated in NATO because we really pay great attention to the defense of our country. However, when agreeing on common plans for collective defense and especially deterrence, Lithuania looks like a black sheep in the alliance, since it is the only one with such a restriction prohibiting the deployment of foreign military bases and weapons of mass destruction in our country," Olekas said, quoted by Lithuanian media.
Members of the Seimas Committee on Law and Order who supported the amendment also noted that lifting the ban would help "contain Russia."
The initiative provides for the exclusion of article 137 from the Constitution. For its adoption, two votes are required with an interval of at least three months, at each of which the amendment must be supported by at least two thirds of the deputies. To complete the procedure, the autumn session of the Seimas may be extended until January 13 next year. "Probably, the schedules and deadlines of lawmaking provided by us will force us to extend the autumn session a little so that we can adopt this particular article of the constitution," Olekas said.
Despite the ban, foreign contingents are already present in Lithuania. After the country joined NATO in 2004, the ban did not prevent the deployment of allied forces. The alliance's military personnel used the Lithuanian infrastructure, and the units rotated through each other.
The main objects of the country's military infrastructure:
— Siauliai Air Base. NATO air patrol aircraft are stationed here.;
— Rukla garrison, where Lithuanian units and multinational forces of the alliance are located;
— the Pabrade and Rudninkai polygons. The first of them houses the Herkus camp, created for American servicemen, and in the second they are building a military camp for the German brigade.
According to NATO data for December 2025, the number of forces under the command of the alliance in Lithuania exceeded 5,000 troops.
The NATO Nuclear Flag
Lithuania is not the only country in the region reviewing restrictions on nuclear weapons. In June, the Finnish Parliament supported the lifting of the ban enshrined in the Atomic Energy Act of 1987. Defense Minister Antti Hyakkanen explained the changes by the need for full participation in NATO's collective defense and nuclear deterrence. At the same time, President Alexander Stubb stated that Helsinki does not intend to deploy nuclear weapons in peacetime.
For Moscow, these decisions affect the security of several areas at once. Finland has a long border with northwestern Russia, and Lithuania is directly adjacent to the Kaliningrad region. The Russian exclave itself has repeatedly appeared in statements by the Lithuanian authorities about a possible military clash with NATO.
In May, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kastutis Budris said that the alliance should demonstrate its ability to overcome Russian defenses in the Kaliningrad region: "We must show the Russians that we can break into the small fortress they built in Kaliningrad. NATO has the means to level Russian air defense bases and missile systems, if necessary."
The Kremlin called his statements bordering on madness. "I don't think it needs to be taken seriously. Rather, it shows what kind of rabid politicians there are," Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, said at the time.
Moscow also reacted to the Finnish nuclear initiative at the discussion stage. Peskov warned that Russia would consider the deployment of nuclear weapons in Finland as a direct threat and would take retaliatory measures. According to him, such a step will intensify the confrontation and make Finland itself more vulnerable.
However, the rearmament of the Baltic states is already underway without nuclear weapons. Estonia received six American HIMARS installations in April 2025. Lithuania and Latvia ordered the same systems — eight and six, respectively. In Tallinn, purchases were directly linked to the need to hit the enemy deep in his territory.
In addition, Latvia and Estonia signed an agreement three years ago on the acquisition of German IRIS-T medium-range complexes. They called the deal one of the largest defense purchases since independence.
What the experts say
One of the possible scenarios could be the deployment of French combat aircraft in Lithuania capable of using cruise missiles with nuclear warheads, Igor Korotchenko, editor-in-chief of the National Defense magazine, believes. Vilnius, according to his assessment, expects to join the initiative of the President of the Fifth Republic Emmanuel Macron to extend the French nuclear deterrent to European allies.
— Lithuania, as part of its Russophobic policy, demonstrates a desire to stuff its territory as much as possible with means that can cause unacceptable damage to Russia, including nuclear weapons. This is a completely conscious political choice of the current elite," the expert believes.
He links this course with Lithuania's possible participation in NATO's actions against the Kaliningrad region. In the event of a direct military clash, Korotchenko allows the use of Russian tactical nuclear weapons against the republic's military facilities.
"Any military conflict will mean that Lithuania is actively involved in scenarios of occupation of the Kaliningrad region with all the ensuing consequences," the source said.
Political commentator Andrei Starikov, in turn, believes that Lithuania's closer participation in the nuclear programs of the Allies does not necessarily imply the deployment of the munitions themselves. At the first stage, it may be a question of using the territory and airspace of the republic by aircraft capable of carrying nuclear weapons, as well as conducting appropriate exercises.
— This does not mean that Lithuania or the Baltic States will have launch silos filled with nuclear warheads, but the President [of Lithuania Gitanas] The start button will appear immediately. This, of course, is an absolutely fantastical option. But the use of their territory and airspace by strategic bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons is interesting, on the one hand, to the Americans, on the other, to NATO as a whole," the expert notes.
The allies will also not necessarily support all the initiatives of the Lithuanian authorities, he adds. Western countries are interested in maintaining control over the escalation in relations with Russia, while more active participation in nuclear programs creates additional risks for Lithuania itself.
— If they feel that they can no longer begin to exit the escalation at any moment and turn the situation back, they will probably act more cautiously and try to contain, among other things, the Eastern European flank — the Baltic countries. But for Lithuania itself, this decision creates additional risks. This increases the degree of escalation and makes the Baltic States an object for strikes," the Izvestia interlocutor summarizes.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
