Lithuania’s parliament voted to lift the ban on nuclear weapons and foreign military bases

Lithuania’s parliament, the Seimas, voted in favor of amending the Constitution to remove the ban on deploying weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons, as well as foreign military bases on the country’s territory. The vote took place following debates on September 22, amid the deteriorating security environment in Europe and Russia’s war against Ukraine.

The amendment was supported by 99 lawmakers, while 13 voted against and five abstained. The proposal will be reviewed by the relevant committees, but it does not yet amend the Constitution.

Two more votes are required for final adoption, each needing the support of at least 94 lawmakers, representing two-thirds of the Seimas’ total membership. The first is scheduled for October 6, and the final vote for January 12, 2027.

Seimas Speaker Juozas Olekas said Lithuania must be able to participate fully in NATO’s nuclear deterrence system. The initiative is supported by arguments related to the modernization of Russia’s nuclear arsenal, military infrastructure in Kaliningrad and Belarus, and the Kremlin’s intensifying nuclear rhetoric. Russia has warned that Lithuania could come within range of its nuclear weapons if it hosted such an arsenal.