Lithuania aims to be ‘part of nuclear deterrence’ against Russia, says president

BERLIN - Lithuania’s president said on July 3 his country wants to be integrated into Western nuclear deterrence against Russia as it moves to end a ban on atomic weapons deployment.

Speaking at a Berlin press conference, President Gitanas Nauseda said Lithuania was taking steps to remove the constitutional ban and added: “We would like to be the integral part of this nuclear deterrence”.

“A few days ago, I initiated a constitutional amendment to remove the existing restriction on the possible deployment of nuclear weapons in Lithuania,” he added.

Shortly afterwards, a group of 50 Lithuanian lawmakers submitted an amendment, which still has to be put before Parliament.

Amending the Lithuanian constitution requires two-time approval by 94 out of 141 members of parliament, with at least a three-month interval between the votes.

Finland’s Parliament voted in June to lift a total ban on nuclear weapons, to bring the country in line with NATO’s deterrence policy after joining the alliance in 2023.

The Bill will permit nuclear weapons to be brought, transported, supplied, or possessed in Finland where its military defence requires it.

Lithuania, a NATO and EU member state that borders Russia and its close ally Belarus, has heavily prioritised security and defence following Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

It is one of NATO’s largest spenders in relative terms, dedicating over 5 per cent of GDP to defence annually, and hosts a multinational NATO battlegroup with a permanent brigade of up to 5,000 German soldiers. AFP