Russia opposes Lithuania’s constitutional change on nuclear weapons: Escalation risk

The Kremlin has reacted harshly to Lithuania’s decision to amend the constitutional ban preventing the deployment of nuclear weapons on its territory.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that bringing U.S. military infrastructure closer to Russia’s borders, as well as the possibility of deploying nuclear weapons in a neighboring country, constituted steps that could increase tensions in the region.

Peskov was responding to journalists’ questions about Moscow’s position on the decision by the Lithuanian parliament and on a proposal made this month by U.S. President Donald Trump to establish a U.S. military base in Lithuania.

“Naturally, this can be seen as nothing other than a step toward escalating tensions,” he said. According to Peskov, the same assessment applies to the possible deployment of nuclear weapons on the territory of a country bordering Russia.

Lithuania is a member of the European Union and NATO, and shares borders with Russia and Belarus, a close ally of Moscow.

The Lithuanian parliament approved the amendment in the first vote, while its entry into force requires two separate votes and the support of two-thirds of lawmakers.

The ban on nuclear weapons was introduced more than three decades ago, after Lithuania broke away from the Soviet Union.

Meanwhile, the United States has maintained an armored battalion of nearly 1,000 troops in Lithuania since 2019, with their presence organized through a rotation system.