Lithuania to Remove Nuclear Weapons Ban from Constitution

Lithuanian leaders of parliamentary parties have agreed that the constitutional ban on nuclear weapons is outdated and should be removed, President Gitanas Nauseda said following a meeting with representatives of parliamentary factions, according to Politico.

According to the president, there was near-unanimous agreement among political leaders that the constitutional article banning nuclear weapons and foreign military bases no longer reflects the current security situation. Parliament is expected to consider the amendment in the near future.

Lithuania, one of Ukraine's strongest supporters, has previously expressed interest in hosting US nuclear weapons as part of a deterrent against neighboring Russia. The country joined NATO in 2004, and according to Nauseda, Lithuanian lawmakers do not want Lithuania to remain one of the few alliance members that still ban nuclear weapons. Finland lifted a similar ban last June.

Lithuanian Parliament Speaker Juozas Olekas said the security situation has changed after 35 years. He stressed that, as a NATO member, Lithuania has both the right and the obligation to be a full-fledged part of the alliance, and that nuclear deterrence remains the primary means of deterrence.

(Politico, bak)