Kremlin’s reaction after Lithuania approved the first vote to remove the constitutional ban on nuclear weapons

The Kremlin warned on Tuesday that the preliminary decision of the Lithuanian Parliament to remove the constitutional ban on hosting nuclear weapons could trigger a new escalation of tensions in Europe. The warning comes after lawmakers in Vilnius approved, in the first of the two required rounds, an amendment to provisions adopted more than three decades ago, following Lithuania’s secession from the Soviet Union.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that bringing U.S. military infrastructure closer to Russia’s borders and the possible deployment of nuclear weapons in a neighboring state would not contribute to the stability and predictability of the European continent. Moscow considers these developments to be steps toward a significant escalation of tensions.

The Kremlin’s reaction also came in the context of a proposal attributed to U.S. President Donald Trump regarding the construction of a U.S. military base in Lithuania. The United States already maintains an armored battalion of approximately 1,000 troops in the country, through rotations that began in 2019.

For the reform to take effect, the Lithuanian Parliament must approve the measure by a two-thirds majority in two rounds of voting. The Baltic state is a member of the European Union and NATO and borders Russia and Belarus.