The Lithuanian Seimas Approved The Repeal Of The Ban On The Deployment Of Nuclear Weapons In The First Reading
- 6.10.2026, 11:49
106 members of parliament voted in favor of the constitutional amendment.
On Tuesday, the Lithuanian Seimas approved in the first reading a constitutional amendment under which the country’s constitution would no longer prohibit the deployment of nuclear weapons on Lithuanian territory.
This was reported by LRT.
The proposal to lift the ban on the deployment of nuclear weapons was supported by 106 members of the Seimas. Eighteen lawmakers voted against it, and six more abstained.
The second, final vote may take place no sooner than three months from now. For the amendment to pass, it must be supported by at least 94 out of 141 members of the Seimas.
Seimas Speaker Juozas Olekas stated that the final vote is scheduled for January 12 of next year.
Before the parliamentary session, he told reporters that lifting the ban would increase Lithuania’s resilience and strengthen the deterrent effect.
“Lifting the ban will mean that we secure the strongest possible support for ourselves. (...) By eliminating the legal peculiarities that Lithuania had compared to other EU and NATO countries, we will be on equal footing,” Olekas explained.
Currently, Article 137 of the Lithuanian Constitution stipulates that weapons of mass destruction and military bases of foreign states may not be located on Lithuanian territory. An amendment proposing to simply repeal this provision is under consideration in the Seimas.
On September 22, the Lithuanian Seimas supported a proposal to remove from the Constitution the article prohibiting the deployment of nuclear weapons on the country’s territory.
Lithuanian Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas previously confirmed that Vilnius is negotiating with the Americans regarding the deployment of U.S. nuclear weapons on the territory of the Baltic country.
Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov stated that Lithuanian territory “will be in the crosshairs” of Russian nuclear weapons if the country allows its allies to deploy nuclear weapons there. Lithuanian politicians viewed this statement as a means of pressure and intimidation on the part of Moscow.